404 Error
by Missingno. Master
Summary: The Tanko region- a side of the Pokémon world rarely seen. You may know this place, just not by name- it's the screwed up world most old-school Pokémon fans know as Glitch City. Red Vershunn, a beginning Pokémon Trainer from Kanto, finds himself trapped in the Tanko region. How did he get there? Will he ever find a way back to Kanto? Why am I asking YOU all these questions?
1. A New Adventure

It was a bright, sunny morning in Talpel Town. The blocky, scrambled sun shone brightly in the sky with nary a single digit to block the light as it shone onto the various dwellings, the walls of which were all covered in rocks, shrubbery, pieces of fence, and the occasional number, all of them arranged in no particular pattern, giving the whole town a very random and disorderly appearance.

Through the crooked, scrambled-looking door of one of these houses burst a young boy, fourteen years of age, dressed in baggy jeans and a black t-shirt. His shaggy, carrot-colored hair shook wildly as he ran excitedly past his mother's garden and down the road, which was peppered with tufts of grass, rocky patches, and the occasional square-shaped puddle.

"This is it!" the boy muttered to himself excitedly. "This is the day I finally get my first Poké-OOF!"

For at that moment, he had collided head-on with a girl his age, clad in a purple sweatshirt and a pair of tight blue jeans.

"Orange!" scowled the girl as she pushed her sleek black hair out of her face. "Can't you look where you're going for once in your life?"

"Sorry, Vi," the boy named Orange apologized, grinning sheepishly as the two picked themselves up and started walking together. "I'm just excited, you know? Once we get our starters from Professor Redwood, we're free to travel the Tanko region as Pokémon trainers!"

"It is exciting, isn't it?" the girl conceded, betraying a small grin. "You decided on your starter?"

Orange nodded. "44Hy for sure," he said. "What about you?"

"Still thinking about it," came the reply. "Bellsprout, Growlithe, 44Hy, they all evolve into great Pokémon."

"Well, you better get thinking, Violet- we're here," grinned Orange. Sure enough, they had arrived at a building that was coated in the same sort of semi-random debris as all the others, but was significantly larger. A sign posted on a nearby rock read; "Redwood Pokémon Research Lab".

"Rrrgh," groaned Violet as they walked up to the door. "Still... Don't... Know... Oh, Orange, can't you be patient at all?!" she added in exasperation as Orange eagerly rapped on the part of the wall which resembled a piece of fence.

"I've been patient for too long, Vi," said Orange. "I just want to be a trainer already!"

"Me too, but you can't just rush this decision!" Violet hissed.

"What rush? You've had months to think about it!" laughed Orange.

"That's just it- I've been using those months to actually think! Unlike you, you just decided you're starting with 44Hy the minute your mom told you she'd let you start training!"

Orange opened his mouth to retort, but the fence piece swung open, revealing a middle-aged man whose buttoned-up lab coat did a very poor job of hiding his considerable gut. What remained of his hair was colored a dark brown.

"Professor Redwood!" Violet exclaimed. "Um... I'm Violet Scramble, and this is-"

"Orange McPixel," finished the professor. "I've already heard from both your mothers. You're here for your starter Pokémon, correct?"

Orange and Violet nodded simultaneously.

"Well, come in! Come in!" exclaimed Professor Redwood jovially as he turned around and walked back into the building. Orange and Violet exchanged looks, then followed.

The interior of Professor Redwood's lab looked nowhere near as chaotic as the outside did; the entire floor was wood, the walls were all white, and not a single digit could be seen on the ceiling.

"Important day for you two, this," Redwood stated as he reached over to a nearby table and took three spheres off of it, scooping them into his left arm. The spheres were half red and half white, with the halves being divided by a thin, black line. At one point in this line, there was a small, white button. Each Poké Ball was the size of a baseball.

"Are those...?" Orange asked excitedly.

"Yep," replied Redwood. "The starter Pokémon. Let me introduce you to 'em. First up, the Grass-type... Bellsprout!"

As Redwood spoke that last word, he took one of the Poké Balls into his right hand and tossed it straight up into the air, whereupon it split open along that black line, releasing a gush of bright white light into the room. The light gathered on the floor and formed itself into what appeared to be a small plant of some sort. Its body was, for the most part, a brown, lithe vine, which split into two roots near the bottom. In the middle, a pair of leaves sprouted from this vine, and on the top was a bell-shaped head with two beady eyes and a large, gaping mouth.

"Bellsprout sprout," the Pokémon stated as it looked up at Orange and Violet.

"Yeah, Bellsprout, cool- let's see the next one," Orange said excitedly.

"There's no rush here, lad," replied Redwood, but all the same, he took another Poké Ball and threw it. "Next, the Fire-type... Growlithe!"

Another flash of light, and an orange quadrupedal Pokémon formed on the floor, and sat next to Bellsprout. This Pokémon had black stripes and cream-colored tufts of fur everywhere.

"Grrrrowlithe!" it barked, wagging its bushy tail at the sight of the beginning trainers.

"...and?" prompted Orange impatiently, earning a stomp on the foot from Violet.

"Sprout sprout Bellsprout!" Bellsprout laughed as Orange howled in pain.

"And finally," declared Redwood as he threw the last Poké Ball into the air, "Last but not least, the Water-type... 44Hy!"

A third flash of light, and a cube-shaped Pokémon covered in pixelly markings materialized. This Pokémon appeared to be two feet tall, and its markings were various shades of bright red, with a few black pixels thrown in.

"Four four hyyyyyyyy," squealed 44Hy, despite lacking a discernible mouth.

"Now you've met your three choices," stated Redwood. "Think it over carefully, for this decision is not one to be taken lightly-"

"I want 44hy," interrupted Orange. Violet facepalmed, Bellsprout mirroring this action.

"...OK, then," shrugged Redwood, as he held out one of the Poké Balls. "44Hy, return."

Immediately, a beam of red light shot out of the button on the Poké Ball and struck 44Hy. This converted the Water-type into a shapeless glob of red light, which was then sucked back into the ball. Redwood then tossed the sphere at Orange, who in his excitement nearly dropped it.

"And Miss Scramble, have you decided?" Redwood asked.

"I think so," smiled Violet. "I want Bellsprout."

"That was fast," remarked Orange as the professor returned Bellsprout to its Poké Ball. "I thought you couldn't decide."

"Yeah, well, I just have a feeling that me and Chompy are gonna get along fine," grinned Violet. "And don't touch that, Orange!"

"What?" Orange asked defensively, but withdrawing his hand from a nearby computer all the same. "I just wanted to see if it had Solitaire!"

"She's right, Orange, you shouldn't be touching this stuff," said Professor Redwood, as he glanced around at his laboratory. Though it was relatively clean, there were still stacks of paper in various places on the floor. The computer Orange nearly touched was hardly the only one in the room; there were at least three that Orange could see at a quick glance.

"Well, it's not like I was gonna destroy it or anything," Orange sulked. "And Vi, what did you call your Bellsprout?

"Chompy. It's Bellsprout's nickname," replied Violet. "You know, you could give that 44Hy of yours a nickname, Orange."

"I suck at nicknaming and you know it," Orange snapped. "Remember the pet Pikachu my mom got?"

"Oh yeah," Violet laughed. "You named it 'Shockey'."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time!"

"Much as I hate to interrupt," Professor Redwood spoke up, "I think I ought to give you two your Pokédexes and Poké Balls."

"Oh, yeah!" exclaimed Orange as the professor handed him a thin, red box and five miniature Poké Balls. As he handed the same to Violet, Orange dumped the supplies carelessly in the yellow backpack he had been wearing. Violet rolled her eyes as she carefully packed her supplies into the blue fanny pack she was wearing.

"Thanks, Professor," grinned Violet as the duo turned to leave.

"One more thing, just a minute," the professor said suddenly. "Get on with it."

"With what?" asked Violet. This time, it was Orange's turn to roll his eyes.

"You don't get it, do you, Vi?" he said exasperatedly. "We're both trainers now. Professor Redwood wants us to have a battle!"

"Very good, Orange," nodded Redwood approvingly. "Battles are the best way to build bonds between trainers and their Pokémon. And given how spacious my lab is, you might as well have at it right here!"

"Let's do this," grinned Orange as he and Violet went to opposite ends of the large and airy room.

"Prepare to lose," Violet grinned back. "Grass beats Water, you know."

"And Psychic beats Poison," Orange shot back. "Type advantages go both ways with this one."

"This will be a one-on-one battle between Orange McPixel of Talpel Town, and Violet Scramble, also of Talpel Town," announced Professor Redwood to nobody in particular. "Begin!"

"Alright, 44Hy!" exclaimed Orange as he took the Poké Ball off of his belt, pressed the button to enlarge it to full size, and heaved it towards the middle of the room. "Let's win this!"

The ball unleashed a flash of light which formed into 44Hy. The Water/Psychic-type floated motionlessly in midair.

"I choose you, Chompy!" called Violet as she threw her own Poké Ball. "Go!"

Another flash of light, and Violet's Bellsprout materialized. It faced Orange's 44Hy and gave what was evidently supposed to be an intimidating battle cry. Then, as if on cue, both trainers took their Pokédexes out, opened them up, and pointed them at their newly acquired Pokémon.

"44Hy, the Riverside Pokémon," droned Orange's Pokédex in a mechanical voice. "44Hy is an uncommonly good swimmer. If threatened, it fights back with telekinetic power Though usually small, the largest known specimen was recorded at being twenty-three feet tall."

"Bellsprout, the Flower Pokémon," droned Violet's Pokédex in a voice identical to Orange's Pokédex. "Bellsprout attacks with its vines at the slightest provocation. It is carnivorous and feasts on small bugs." Each Pokédex then listed on its screen the attacks the Pokémon before them knew.

"Let's go, 44Hy! Headbutt attack now!" ordered Orange.

"Hyyyyyyyyyyy," squealed 44Hy as it zoomed forward.

"Chompy, dodge it and use Vine Whip!" commanded Violet.

"Sprout!" exclaimed Chompy as it leapt into the air, evading the Headbutt completely. Then, a pair of green vines sprouted from behind Chompy's leaves and slammed into 44Hy, sending it crashing to the floor.

"44Hy, now try your Disable attack!" Orange called as the Riverside Pokémon unsteadily rose back into the air. Almost immediately, a pink glow came over 44Hy's cube-shaped body, and a similar glow formed in the Bellsprout's eyes.

"Damn!" groaned Violet. "Vine Whip was Chompy's only move, too."

"We got 'em now," grinned Orange.

"Chompy, use Struggle attack!" called Violet.

"Confusion!" cackled Orange.

"Hyyyyyyyyyyyyyy four four," exclaimed 44Hy as it launched a ray of blue light from one of its corners. Chompy dashed forward, flailing about madly, but the effort was in vain; as soon as 44Hy's Confusion attack hit, Bellsprout was knocked back; it slid across the floor, skidding to a stop at its trainer's feet.

"Chompy is unable to battle!" declared Redwood. "Orange and 44Hy are the winners!"

"We'll beat them next time, Chompy," Violet assured her unconscious Pokémon as she returned it to its Poké Ball.

"Great job, 44Hy," Orange grinned as he withdrew his Water/Psychic-type.

"Great job, the both of you," smiled Redwood. "You both were in sync with your Pokémon the whole time, and you battled excellently. I really think the two of you are gonna do fine-"

THUMP!

"What the hell?" muttered Orange; the loud thumping sound had come from just outside the front of the laboratory.

"Let's see what's going on," Redwood stated as he dashed to the door as fast as his portliness would allow. As he pushed it open, Orange looked past him to see a boy who looked around his age passed out on the road.

"Sweet crap!" exclaimed Orange as the professor ran over, picked the unconscious youth up, and carried him into the lab. He was wearing a sleeveless red jacket over a black t-shirt, and a red-and-white cap over messy brown hair.

"Is he breathing?" asked Violet as the professor laid the boy down on a nearby couch.

"Yeah he is," said Redwood. "I never seen him around here before, though."

Just then, the youth's eyelids fluttered, then opened completely.

"He's awake!" declared Orange.

"Yeah, thanks, Captain Obvious," sighed Violet.

"Oh..." groaned the boy. "Where... where am I?"


	2. Meet Red

"Where am I?" the boy asked again.

"Take it easy, son," said Professor Redwood quietly. "You're in my lab, in Talpel Town."

"...what?" the youth asked uncertainly. "Talpel Town? Where... Who are you?"

"I'm Professor Redwood."

"Who?"

"You've never heard of Professor Redwood?" asked Orange incredulously. "He's like, only the most renowned Pokémon researcher in the whole Tanko region!"

"The what region?" replied the boy.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Orange. "HOW do you not know the name of the region you're in?!"

"Orange, shut up," sighed Violet. She then turned to the youth on the professor's couch. "I'm Violet Scramble and Mr. Insensitivity back there is Orange McPixel. What's your name?"

"Red. Red Vershunn," replied the boy.

"And where are you from, Red?" asked Redwood patiently.

"Pallet Town, Kanto region," Red answered.

Orange, Violet, and Professor Redwood exchanged surprised glances.

"The WHAT?!" exclaimed Orange.

"The... Kanto region," Red repeated, now regarding Orange warily. "You must have heard of it."

"I've heard of it," nodded Orange. "But I thought it was just an urban legend, you know, how it's supposed to be like a parallel universe or something."

"Kanto does indeed exist," said Professor Redwood. "They've been conducting all sorts of research in the laboratory on Bincanar Island in the south, and the scientists there believe that it may be possible to forge a link between Kanto and Tanko. Red, what's the last thing you remember before waking up on my sofa?"

"Well," Red began, "I was in Fuchsia City's Safari Zone, with Professor Oak and his grandson Blue."

"Professor Oak exists?!" interrupted Orange.

"Orange?" said Violet.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Anyway," continued Red, "He was going there to study some of the rarer Pokémon in the wild, and I got him to bring me along. He had just given me my first Pokémon, and I thought maybe I'd be able to catch something else there. But once I was inside, I got separated from the professor and Blue, and while trying to find them, somehow angered a Venonat, who blasted me with Sleep Powder. Once I woke up, I couldn't find the professor or Blue anywhere, so I left the Safari Zone. Five minutes later, I heard this awful voice in my head, saying stuff like 'Time's up! Your Safari Game is done!', over and over. It got worse and worse, and I must have passed out after that, 'cause that's the last thing I remember."

A stunned silence followed this story. After a few minutes, Professor Redwood cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"Well, Red, you've obviously had a tough time. I think the best thing for you would be to get to Bincanar Island in the south. The scientists there might just have the answers you're looking for. Unfortunately, there's no boat scheduled to leave for Bincanar for a few months now..."

"Oh, man," groaned Red. "The professor's probably worried sick."

"I've got it!" exclaimed Redwood suddenly. "Red, you're a trainer, right?"

"Yeah," Red nodded. "I never got a Pokédex yet, though. Professor Oak was all out, but he expecting to get a shipment of Pokédexes once we got back from Fuchsia, so he'd give me one then."

"Well, I have an extra one," Redwood stated as he rummaged through a nearby cabinet, tossing various items over his shoulders as he spoke; Orange had to duck to avoid being hit by a stray cheese grater. Finally, the pudgy professor pulled a Pokédex out and handed it to Red. "Here you go. Orange and Violet here are about to start their own Pokémon journey. You can join them, Red. They'll probably be going to Bincanar Island for a badge eventually, and you can get your answers then."

"Um, Professor? We weren't actually gonna travel together," Orange spoke up. "We just kinda bumped into each other on the way here."

"And he means that in the most literal way possible," Violet added, rubbing the spot on her head where it had collided with Orange's head.

"Really?" Redwood asked in surprise. "I would have thought you'd be traveling together, especially in these dangerous times."

"They're not dangerous anymore, Professor," Orange said. "Those gangs haven't been heard from in months."

"True," replied Redwood, "but that doesn't mean they're gone. And anyways, don't you think you ought to help Red out here? He's in a land unfamiliar to him."

"We'd be glad to," Violet stated while shooting a dirty look at Orange.

"Good, good," nodded Redwood. "Now, Red, what do you say?"

"Well..." began Red, uncertainly, "...I don't know. It seems like a really roundabout way to get there. I mean, there's no other way I can get to... what was it... Bincanar Island? No planes? I can't rent a boat? You don't have any Water-types I can borrow?"

Redwood shook his head. "The ferry service to Bincanar put all the boat rental businesses out of work, and they had already been struggling given the popularity of traveling over water via Pokémon. The only Pokémon I have here are the starters I give to beginning trainers, and the Water-types don't know Surf yet."

"You don't have the HM for Surf?" asked Red.

"Sorry," said Redwood. "Hidden Machines are very hard to come by, even for a professor such as myself. The only one I have teaches Flash, and that's practically useless."

"Well, in that case," Red said, "I guess I'll go with... Violet and Orange, right?"

"I think that's the best idea," nodded Redwood. "Even if you have questions about this region, I'm sure exploring it and seeing it for yourself would be better than any answer I can give you."

"Good point," Red admitted. "Professor Oak says stuff like that all the time, that it's better to see the world for myself than just learn about it from someone else. That's why he agreed to take me with him to the Safari Zone in the first place."

"That's settled then!" boomed Redwood. "Good luck to the three of you!"

The trio said their goodbyes and exited Redwood's lab. Almost immediately, Red's eyes widened and he started to look in every direction, clearly weirded out.

"What the..." Red muttered. "The sun... It looks like someone cut it into ribbons and scrambled up the pieces!"

"Nice, isn't it?" smiled Violet. "You don't usually get a clear day like this in Tanko.

"And... are those numbers in that garden?!"

"Those?" Orange scoffed, looking at the professor's garden, which contained a bunch of ones, threes, and nines, all of them looking as if they were carved out of wood and painted black. "Those are nothing. My mom's crop of even numbers is fantastic this year."

"This place is too weird," Red muttered, shaking his head. "So... you two are trainers, right?"

"Yeah," answered Violet. "You want to see our Pokémon?"

"Sure," Red replied, finally smiling. Violet smiled back as she took out and enlarged a Poké Ball.

"Come on out, Chompy!" called Violet as she threw the sphere into the air. The Poké Ball split open, and Violet's Bellsprout materialized. Though obviously worn out from its previous battle, it was at least conscious again.

"Cool Bellsprout," Red nodded as he took a Poké Ball of his own off his belt. "Now have a look at my Pokémon! Charmander, go!"

Red threw the Poké Ball, and in a flash of light, a small, orange, reptilian Pokémon appeared before them. It stood on its hind legs, and the cream colored spot on its stomach extended down the length of its tail, which was tipped with a single small ember.

"WOAH!" exclaimed Orange. "A Charmander?! Those are so rare!" As he spoke, he took out his Pokédex and pointed it at Charmander.

"Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. Obviously prefers hot places. When it rains, steam pours from the tip of its tail."

"Yep," Red grinned proudly. "Professor Oak gave me this Charmander as my starter Pokémon. Now let's see your Pokémon, Orange."

"With pleasure," Orange grinned back as he took his own Poké Ball, pressed the button to enlarge it, and tossed it up. In yet another flash of light, the two-foot-tall cube known as 44Hy appeared.

"AIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!" shrieked Red in an unnaturally high voice as he pointed at 44Hy. "Wha... What IS that thing?!"

"My 44Hy," answered Orange. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Four four?" added 44Hy.

"Where do I begin?!" Red exclaimed, now looking slightly nauseated. "Is that... thing... even a Pokémon?"

"Look it up on your Pokédex," suggested Violet. Obligingly, Red took the miniature computerized Pokémon encyclopedia out of his backpack and aimed it at 44Hy.

"44Hy, the Riverside Pokémon. 44Hy is an uncommonly good swimmer. If threatened, it fights back with telekinetic power," droned Red's Pokédex.

"OK..." Red stated. "But, all the same, call it back, would you? That thing gives me the creeps."

"44Hy is not a 'thing'," scowled Orange, but he withdrew his Pokémon all the same.

"Thank you," Red sighed in relief. "So, um... where are we off to first?"

"Nearest Pokémon Gym ought to be in Ivadirin City," Violet answered as she and Red withdrew their Pokémon. "It's not far from here, it shouldn't take too long to get through Route -1."

"Route _negative_ one?" Red repeated.

"What, now you're gonna have a problem with our routes?" demanded Orange.

"Not a problem," said Red, shaking his head. "Just... I just need to get used to this place."

"We understand," Violet nodded. She then turned and glared at Orange while mouthing "You are so insensitive!".

Before long, the trio had arrived at Route -1. Red looked all around him, eyes wide, jaw dropped. The trees that surrounded them looked crooked and scrambled, as if someone had taken ordinary oak trees, chopped them into pieces, and glued them back together haphazardly and without regard for what trees actually looked like; between the arboreal abominations were what appeared to be large rocks with pieces of drywall, brick, and roof tiles attached in strange places.

"Here we are," said Violet. "Route -1. Let's see what we can find in the way of wild Pokémon here."

"Oh, it's on!" exclaimed Orange. "I bet I catch something before either one of you!"

"Is he always like this?" Red muttered to Violet. as Orange dashed off across the scrambled landscape.

"You've no idea," she answered.

With that said, the three trainers began wandering around, turning their heads to look in every direction, eyes peeled for the slightest sign of a wild Pokémon. Though they saw nothing for the first minute of their search, a high-pitched gibbering sound reached their ears before long. Simultaneously the looked in the direction from which the noise was coming, and found its source easily enough; a swarm of small purple Pokémon was zipping through the air above them. Each Pokémon couldn't have been much taller than ten inches; their bodies looked almost rectangular, but with uneven, almost jagged bottoms. As they flew in every directions, some of them emitted small explosions, usually two or three in quick succession. Oddly, not only did the explosions not seem to harm the others, they didn't even seem to harm the exploders.

"Awesome!" Orange exclaimed as he held his Pokédex up at the noisy newcomers. "It's a whole swarm of .4!"

".4, the Caffeine Pokémon," droned Orange's Pokédex. ".4 travel in swarms and emit high-pitched cries constantly. They explode regularly to let off excess energy, but the explosions will not knock them out. .4's type is Pokémaniac, which gives it no weaknesses."

"Gah!" exclaimed Red as a couple of .4 swooped down right past his face. "Get rid of these things!"

"Get rid of them?" repeated Orange. "Are you kidding? I'm gonna catch one!" And he took the Poké Ball of his belt, enlarged it, and threw it. "44Hy, come on out!" he exclaimed.

The ball opened up, and 44Hy appeared in a brilliant display of light. Many of the .4 scattered in all directions at the sight of this larger Pokémon, though several remained.

"Use Confusion!" Orange commanded.

"Four four!" replied 44Hy as it fired off a ray of blue light at the remaining .4. The Caffeine Pokémon screeched in pain as the Psychic move struck them, causing a few more to flee. One of them, however, stayed behind and began to fly in circles around 44Hy.

"This is too weird," Red murmured, shaking his head.

".4's using its Agility attack," Violet warned Orange. "You better be careful, now it's even faster!"

"Relax," scoffed Orange. "I got this-"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Orange, however, was interrupted by the sound of three consecutive explosions, all of them coming from .4. Each blast, though minor, knocked 44Hy back a bit.

"So, what, they know Explosion? Selfdestruct?" asked Red.

"Nope. TM28," said Violet.

"TM twenty-eight?" Red repeated. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this."

"TM28, .4's signature attack," Red's Pokédex spoke up suddenly from within his backpack. Red hastily dug it out to hear it continue. ".4 explodes to let off excess energy. Due to its constantly-energetic nature, however, the blast does not knock it out. TM28 has no type."

"A move... with no type," Red sighed. "I've never heard of such a thing."

Meanwhile, Orange was continuing to battle the wild .4. After the TM28 attack was done, 44Hy had retaliated with a Headbutt, slamming the energetic Pokémon down onto a rocky part of the ground, right next to a square-shaped puddle. Though it still made unintelligible gibbering noises, it couldn't seem to rise back into the air.

"I've been waiting to say this all my life," Orange said as he took an empty Poké Ball out of his backpack, enlarged it, and heaved it directly at the unconscious .4. "Poké Ball! GO!"

The red-and-white sphere hurtled through the air and struck the Caffeine Pokémon. As soon as this happened, .4's body turned into a shapeless glob of transparent red energy. The Poké Ball split open, and with a distinct whirring sound, sucked the mass of energy inside. Once all of it was inside, the ball snapped shut and began to wobble back and forth on the ground.

"C'mon... c'mon," whined Orange as the ball continued to shake.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the ball stopped shaking.

"YES! YEEEAAAAH!" exclaimed Orange as he snatched the Poké Ball and held it up high. "I caught .4! Oh yeah!"

As Orange continued to loudly celebrate his new capture, Violet turned to Red.

"So, Red, why don't you try to catch a Pokémon? It shouldn't be too hard to find some more .4."

"I'll pass, thanks," Red answered. "I haven't even heard of Pokémon like 44Hy and .4 before. They just creep me out a bit, I dunno. I prefer stuff like.. you know... Rattata, Pikachu, Spearow. Stuff with bodies that aren't so... geometric."

"Well, you'll be able to find a good amount of those," Violet assured him. Then, she looked behind Red. "Huh. Speaking of which, isn't that a Rattata right there?"

Red spun around. Sure enough, a small, rodentlike creature was scurrying across the blocky landscape. Most of its fur was a rich shade of purple, and its front teeth were extremely prominent.

"Now we're talking!" Red exclaimed as he held out his Pokédex in the direction of the Rattata.

"Rattata, the Rat Pokémon," said Red's Pokédex. "Rattata's front teeth grow continually, so it gnaws various items to whittle them down. It can chew through even the toughest of metals."

"I'm catching this!" Red declared, throwing a Poké Ball. "Charmander, go!"

In a flash of light, Charmander appeared. It gave a sharp cry of "Char char!", which caught the Rattata's attention.

"Orange, will you shut up for a minute?" Violet asked; Orange had still been celebrating his new Pokémon in a very verbal manner. At this, Orange grudgingly quieted down, then noticed Red about to battle.

Rattata made the first move. It darted forward, and slammed its whole body into Charmander. Though Charmander was taller than Rattata, the Tackle attack made its mark nonetheless; Charmander was pushed backwards a bit, but it managed to stand its ground.

"Scratch attack, Charmander!" Red ordered.

"Charmander char!" replied Charmander as it lunged at Rattata and took a swipe at it with its front left leg. This knocked Rattata onto its back, but it got back up relatively easily. Rattata then wheeled around and started wagging its tail uselessly.

"...uh..." Orange said, clearly at a loss.

"It's Rattata's Tail Whip," explained Violet. "Red, don't get caught off-guard. That's exactly what Rattata is after."

"Right," nodded Red. "Charmander, Scratch one more time!"

"Chaaaaar!" Charmander exclaimed as it lunged at Rattata again and took another swipe. This time, Rattata was able to scramble out of the way of the attack. It continued to run, gathering speed, and slammed into Charmander's side, sending the Lizard Pokémon tumbling to the ground.

"Gah!" Red exclaimed. "That was a Quick Attack, wasn't it?"

"Looked like one," Orange nodded. "My mom's pet Pikachu knows that move."

"Charmander, try your Ember attack!" Red ordered.

"Mander!" Charmander exclaimed as it climbed to its feet. Charmander then turned its back to Rattata and wagged its tail. With each wag, a number of small flames flew off its tail. Rattata watched this, seemingly mesmerized by the fire, until the flames actually collided with it. At that point, Rattata began screeching angrily, but passed out almost immediately.

Red wasted no time. With his right hand, he dug into his backpack and pulled out an empty Poké Ball. With his left hand, he turned the cap on his head so it faced backwards. He enlarged the Poké Ball, then launched it at the Rattata. "Poké Ball, go!" Red shouted.

The sphere struck Rattata, and just as Orange's Poké Ball had done with .4, Rattata turned into a shapeless mass of red energy, which was sucked into the ball. Once Rattata was completely pulled inside, the ball slammed shut, fell to the ground, and started wobbling back and forth.

There was total silence. Red was glaring at the Poké Ball as though his gaze would prevent Rattata from breaking free. Then, finally, the ball gave a final pinging sound and fell still.

"Nice," Orange said as Red scooped up the Poké Ball containing his new Rattata.

"Yeah," Red grinned back as he withdrew Charmander. "I caught Rattata!"

"Your turn, Violet!" Orange exclaimed as Red turned his cap back around. "You're the only one who hasn't caught a Pokémon yet."

"Will you give it a rest?" Violet snapped. "I'll catch a Pokémon when I'm good and ready to, and not just because it's the first one I see!"

"Well, you gotta do something, that Bellsprout of yours isn't gonna cut it forever."

"I will, eventually. Quit bugging me."

"Fine," Orange sighed as Violet started looking around. Once she had her back to him, however, Orange stuck his tongue out at her.

"Shouldn't we head to... what was it... Irividan City?" Red suggested.

"It's Ivadirin City," said Violet. "And you got a good point.

"Wait a minute!" interrupted Orange. "You wanna challenge the Ivadirin Gym Leader with only a Bellsprout that only knows Vine Whip?"

"That's... actually a good point," Violet admitted. "Even if I don't want to catch something just yet, I gotta train Bellsprout a bit."

"In which case we should head to a Pokémon Center," Red stated. "Bellsprout looked pretty wiped out when you showed it to me."

"Oh, fine," sighed Orange. With that, the trio continued down Route -1.

The walk wasn't a particularly long one. Red was extremely wary of his surroundings, given that the ground seemed to be made up of lush grass, solid rock, paved road, and puddles of water in relatively equal measure. Orange and Violet traversed this terrain like it was nothing, whereas Red kept tripping over almost everything. It took Red a little while, but he was able to catch up. Once he did, he began talking with Orange and Violet, and was astonished to discover that the both of them were fourteen.

"I'm only eleven!" exclaimed Red. "And you guys only just started today?"

"Yeah," sighed Orange. "There's been a lot of trouble in this region lately, so my mom didn't want me starting until things quieted down a bit."

"Same with my mom," added Violet. "There's been these two gangs wreaking havoc all over the region, causing trouble for trainers. I think they call themselves Team Debug and Team Error. My mom only gave up and let me start my journey because they've quieted down lately."

"Yeah, same here," Orange nodded.

"Teams Debug and Error, huh?" said Red. "They sound a lot like this Team Rocket we got back in Kanto. They're a gang of Pokémon thieves."

At that point, however, the trio reached the top of a small hill and saw before them a mass of pixellated, scrambled structures that appeared to be buildings.

"Here we are," announced Orange. "Ivadirin City!"


	3. Red Vs Violet

The first place Orange, Violet, and Red visited was the Ivadirin City Pokémon Center. The nurse on duty was more than happy to heal their Pokémon.

"So, Orange, Violet," Red said as they all sat down on a comfortable sofa in the center's waiting area, "I've been wondering, why doesn't Professor Redwood give out Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle to beginning trainers?"

"Those Pokémon are almost unheard of in Tanko," replied Violet. "From what my mom told me, that was what he initially planned to do when he opened his lab, but he had so much trouble getting ahold of any semi-decent amount of them that in order to be ready for three starting trainers one day, he had to just go out and catch the first three Grass, Fire, and Water-types he came across. Those happened to be Bellsprout, Growlithe, and 44Hy. It's not all that balanced, considering that Bellsprout isn't very strong to start off with, and 44Hy has incredible psychic power, but he never intended it to be a permanent arrangement."

"So why is it?" asked Red.

"Turns out, those three are pretty popular among beginning trainers. Even if it's weak initially, turns out there's a lot of trainers who love the idea of eventually having a Victreebel by their side someday. And they all think that Arcanine is as close to a legendary Pokémon as they're ever gonna get. And then there's Q-"

"Who?" interrupted Red. His Pokédex, however, answered, as a large square covered in yellow and black pixellated markings appeared on the screen.

"Q, the Deep Sea Pokémon, and the evolved form of 44Hy," stated the Pokédex. "When it starts to use its immense Psychic powers, its entire body lights up. It can dive underwater to great depths."

"Ah," Red stated. "Another one of those."

"You guys talking about Q?" said Orange. "Q is awesome! And the best part is, it doesn't take much to make a 44Hy evolve either!

"So if Q is so powerful and easy to get, why does anyone choose Growlithe or Bellsprout?" asked Red.

"Well, like I said," Violet replied, "Victreebel and Arcanine are some of the most popular Pokémon in these parts, and not far off from Q in terms of power."

At that moment, the nurse approached the group, carrying a tray which bore five Poké Balls, proclaiming the balls' inhabitants to be at full health.

-  
"About time!" Orange exclaimed as he burst through the giant "9" which served as the center's front door and into the middle of a nearby vacant lot, the landscape peppered with tufts of grass, chunks of rock, and various sevens and threes. "Let's battle!"

"Will you calm down already?" groaned Violet as she and Red followed.

"Not really," grinned Orange. "Come on, Vi. Battle, you and me!"

"As long as you don't use your 44Hy," replied Violet.

"Aw, come on!" whined Orange.

"Chompy isn't gonna get anywhere if he keeps losing!" exclaimed Violet. "At least with your .4 there's no type disadvantage to worry about."

"...fine," grumbled Orange as he took a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it. Orange and Violet then took their places, twenty feet away from each other.

"Relax, Orange," said Red. "You gotta use Pokémon other than your starter sometimes."

"Yeah, I know," conceded Orange as Violet threw a Poké Ball onto the field, unleashing her Bellsprout. Orange sighed, then threw the Poké Ball. ".4, go!"

The Poké Ball split open, and in a flash of light, the hyperactive .4 materialized. Orange then consulted his Pokédex, and brought up a list of attacks his .4 knew.

"Chompy, hit it with Vine Whip!" called Violet.

"Dodge it with Agility, .4!" commanded Orange.

"Bellsprout sprout," said Chompy as a pair of vines emerged from behind its leaves. Chompy then reached for .4 with the vines, but the Caffeine Pokémon began zipping through the air in random directions. Chompy was unable to get in a single hit.

"Now get in close and use TM28!" Orange shouted.

.4 gibbered excitedly as it dive-bombed Chompy and promptly unleashed a small explosion, sending the Bellsprout flying backwards. Though the attack appeared to hit hard, Chompy was able to get back onto its roots, albeit unsteadily.

"Chompy, Vine Whip again!" Violet ordered.

".4, TM05!" commanded Orange.

.4's body took on a mystical-looking blue aura, then zoomed downward, as if to tackle Chompy. It pulled out of the dive at the last second, but then appeared to vanish into thin air.

"What the hell?" Red asked, raising an eyebrow at this unfamiliar technique.

"TM05, an evasive technique," droned Red's Pokédex. "TM05 turns the user invisible, allowing it to avoid oncoming attacks with greater ease."

"Sprooooouuuut," whined Chompy as it flailed its vines around at random, hoping to swat .4 down.

"No chance at all," grinned Orange. ".4, finish it! TM28 attack now!"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" squealed .4 as the air behind Chompy exploded. The Bellsprout was thrown into the air, but then, its still-flailing vines appeared to hit something solid. Immediately, .4 became visible again as it fell to the ground.

"You got it, Chompy!" encouraged Violet. "Hit it again!"

"Bellsprout sprout... Bell!" exclaimed Chompy suddenly as its body took on a faint green glow. Then, its body seemed to grow out in all directions, its roots thickening, its leaves broadening. After a few seconds, the growing and glowing stopped; Chompy now was equal in height to its trainer's waist.

"Did it evolve?" wondered Orange.

"Does that look like a Weepinbell to you?" Violet replied. "I think Chompy learned how to use Growth! Chompy, Vine Whip once more!"

".4, dodge it!" exclaimed Orange, but the order came too late; Chompy unfurled a pair of thick vines and slammed them into .4, who was still reeling from the last hit. This attack plowed .4 halfway into the ground, where it ceased to move.

"DAMN IT!" roared Orange as he withdrew .4.

"Now we're even," smirked Violet as Bellsprout shrunk back down to its usual size; as the battle had ended, its Growth had worn off. "What did you think of that, Red?"

Red, however, did not reply. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"...Red?" asked Orange. "Hello?"

"Guys, I just thought of something," Red frowned. "The town with Professor Redwood's laboratory, what's it called again?"

"Talpel Town. Why?" replied Orange.

"And what's this city called again?"

"Ivadirin City," Violet answered.

"Could you spell those for me?" Red asked.

Violet and Orange exchanged confused glances, but obliged to Red's request and spelled out the names. Red regarded this new information, and for a few moments, closed his eyes and appeared to think about it. Then, his eyes flew open.

"I knew it," he said. "Something's been nagging me about those names and I finally know what it is."

"What?" asked Orange.

"First off, the little bit I know about this region's locations seemed vaguely familiar to begin with," Red started. "I wasn't sure what it was, mainly because the whole alternate dimension thing was kinda freaking me out, not to mention Orange's weird Pokémon."

"My Pokémon are not weird!" Orange exclaimed indignantly.

"And then the names, something about them was bothering me, and now I know. Talpel Town- you rearrange the letters in that, you get Pallet Town. Same with Ivadirin City- in Kanto, the city closest to Pallet Town is Viridian City. And what was the name of the island Professor Redwood mentioned?"

"B-Bincanar," Violet answered, still surprised at this revelation. "Spelled B-I-N-C-A-N-A-R."

"I thought so," Red grinned. "Across the sea, directly south of Talpel Town?"

"Yeah," Orange said.

"Let me guess, in Kanto, there's an island across the sea, directly south of Pallet Town?" asked Violet.

"Cinnabar Island," Red nodded. "Rearrange the letters in Bincanar, you get Cinnabar."

"OK, this is freaky," Orange sighed, shaking his head.

"For once in your life, you're right," Violet said, earning a dirty look from Orange.

"That was a cheap shot!" Orange snapped. "Hey, Red, why don't you battle Violet now?"

"Hmm?" Red blinked in surprise. "Oh- oh, sure. Fine by me."

"Works for me, too," Violet agreed. With that, Orange walked off to the side as Red took his place.

"Same rules as before," Orange stated. "One Pokémon each."

"Let's go, Chompy!" exclaimed Violet.

"Sprout!" replied Chompy as it made its way back onto the battlefield.

Red took a Poké Ball off his belt, enlarged it, and tossed it out in front of him. "Rattata, let's go!" he shouted.

The ball split open, and Rattata was unleashed in a brilliant flash of light.

"Rattata!" it called out in a shrill voice.

"Aww, you're using Rattata?" whined Orange. "I wanted to see you cream her with your Charmander!"

"Charmander's battled before. Rattata hasn't," Red replied. "I can't just rely on one Pokémon all the time."

"Chompy, Growth!" Violet ordered.

"Rattata, Tackle attack!" Red commanded.

Chompy's body took on a faint green glow, then nearly doubled in size within seconds. Though a bit unnerved at this, Rattata lunged forward regardless and plowed into the large Grass-type, sending it flying backwards.

"Chompy, you got this!" encouraged Violet as the Bellsprout climbed back into an upright position. "Vine Whip now!"

"Bellsprout... Sprout!" exclaimed Chompy as it unfurled a pair of thick vines from behind its leaves.

"Dodge it and use Quick Attack!" Red ordered.

"Rrrrattata!" the Mouse Pokémon cried out as it scrambled away from the oncoming vines and charged at Chompy with great speed. The Bellsprout hastily tried to slap Rattata out of the way with Vine Whip, but its target was moving much too fast. The purple blur that was Rattata slammed Bellsprout backwards. It skidded across the field and stopped at Violet's feet, unconscious.

"Good job, Rattata," smiled Red as he held out the Poké Ball and recalled his Normal-type.

"You did the best you could, Chompy," sighed Violet as she withdrew Bellsprout.

"OK, now let's hit the gym!" Orange exclaimed. Violet responded to this with a withering look.

"You're joking, right, Orange? Chompy is my only Pokémon. Chompy is unconscious. How do you expect me to win a gym battle with a knocked-out Bellsprout?"

"Oh, yeah," Orange replied, grinning sheepishly.

Half an hour later, the trio exited the Pokémon Center for the second time that day. It didn't take long before .4, Chompy, and Rattata were completely refreshed.

"OK, NOW let's hit the gym!" Orange exclaimed, now with a tinge of whininess in his voice. "Come on, guys! I want to earn me a Soil Badge already!"

"Orange. Relax," Violet sighed. "It's not like the Gym Leader is gonna go anywhere."

"Uh... Yeah... About that," Red chuckled weakly; at that moment they had arrived at a large and imposing structure. Above what appeared to be an assortment of roofing tiles glued to a wall hung a large wooden sign, with the words "Ivadirin City Pokémon Gym" painted on it in large black lettering. On the aforementioned roofing tiles was a small piece of paper, attached to what Red took to be a door with duct tape. Orange approached the gym and read the words printed on the paper out loud.

"'I'm away on business. Until my return, Ivadirin Gym is closed. Signed, the Ivadirin Gym Leader.' What the hell?!" Orange demanded indignantly. "Vi, I TOLD you we should have hurried!"

"I doubt he left two minutes ago," Violet snapped, rolling her eyes. "We probably would've passed him on our way here."

"Well, this is disappointing," Red sighed as he looked over the note again, despite having already read it twice.

"I know, right?!" exclaimed Orange. "What are we gonna do until this guy gets back?"

"I guess we gotta go to Rewept City," shrugged Violet. "There's a Pokémon Gym there, too."

"What... you mean we gotta go through Ivadirin Forest?" asked Orange, trepidation in his voice.

"Rewept City... Is that spelled R-E-W-E-P-T?" asked Red.

"Yeah," Violet said.

"I thought so," Red smirked. "Rearrange 'Rewept' and you get 'Pewter'. In Kanto, north of Viridian City is Pewter City."

"Yeah, yeah, fascinating," Orange said dismissively. "But... Can't we just, like, go around Ivadirin Forest or something?"

"Oh, yeah," Violet grinned evilly. "I forgot. You don't like Bug Pokémon, do you, Orange?"

"Shut up," Orange snapped, his face reddening.

"What?" Red asked.

"Look, Bug-types bug me, OK?" Orange said loudly.

"They do?" Red asked. "Why?"

"Because-" Violet started.

"Don't!" Orange yelled. "Look, we can go through the forest, OK? Just keep the Bug-types away from me and don't say another word about this!"

"Fine, fine," Violet replied. Red seemed taken aback at Orange's unexpectedly violent response, but said nothing as Violet led the way.

Before long, they had left Ivadirin City, and were standing before a thick grove of badly scrambled trees. Each tree looked as if it had been chopped into little pieces and glued back together randomly. Just like the trees on Route -1, but worse.

"OK, seriously," Orange said quietly, "I think there's a path that takes us right around this forest."

"You are such a big baby," Violet replied. "Come on."

"It'll be fine, Orange," Red added. "I got Charmander with me. Bug-types won't dare mess with us once I let it out."

"Fine," Orange conceded as he followed Red and Violet into the arboreal maze before them.

Inside the forest, it was dark. Though the trees were horribly jumbled, most of them still had their leaves on the top, and were thus able to block out most of the sunlight. As the trio walked down a narrow path lined with trees, Orange glanced nervously in all directions, and had to fight off the urge to scream when a faint buzzing noise could be heard off in the distance.

After several minutes of walking, Orange spoke up. "Um... You think maybe we could, you know, speed it up a bit? I'd like to get to Rewept City, you know, before it gets too late."

"Before it gets dark and we have to camp out in the forest, you mean," said Violet.

"Orange has a good point," Red stated. "If we had to stop to camp, we might lose our way through the forest, and it'll take us even longer to get to... what was it... Rewept City."

"Fine," Violet sighed. With that, she quickened her pace. Orange hastened to keep up, still glancing around nervously. Then, Red was forced to stop short as Orange screeched to a halt, pointing shakily at a small, green creature which had fallen out of a tree and onto the ground before him.

"Hmm?" Violet asked as she turned around. "Orange, what's wrong?"

"Th... th... th... tha!" stammered Orange as he backed up (nearly knocking Red to the ground in the process) and continued to point. The Pokémon at which Orange was pointing had a body composed of small green spheres. It had big black eyes and a red, "Y"-shaped antennae on its head.

"Oh!'' exclaimed Violet as she looked down and pointed her Pokédex at the newcomer. "A Caterpie!"

"Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon," droned Violet's Pokédex. "A very docile Pokémon of the Bug type, Caterpie feeds almost exclusively on leaves. When threatened, it unleashes a horrible stench from its antennae to drive off the threat."

Violet looked at the Caterpie, who was glancing up at the three humans. Then, she betrayed a small chuckle.

"Orange, I knew Bug-types freaked you out, but a Caterpie? Come on! You're acting like it's a Pinsir or a Z4 or something! Caterpie are the definition of harmless!"

"Bugs are bugs." Orange replied as defiantly as he could while cowering behind Red.

"Well, this bug's gonna be mine," grinned Violet. "Maybe if we have a Bug-type with us you'll actually clam up once in a while!" Wasting no time, Violet stepped back, creating a good distance between herself and the wild Caterpie, then took a Poké Ball off her belt, enlarged it, and threw it. "Chompy, I choose you!" she called.

In a flash of light, Violet's Bellsprout materialized. It stared down the Caterpie and flexed its leaves as if they were arms. Caterpie responded to this by turning to face its adversary and assume what was evidently supposed to be an intimidating battle pose.

"Chompy, Vine Whip now!" ordered Violet.

"Sprout!" exclaimed Chompy as a pair of slender, dark-green vines extended from behind its leaves. The vines zipped forward and slammed into Caterpie. Though the attack knocked Caterpie on its back, it got right back up and charged forward as fast as its stubby feet would carry it (which, Red had to admit, was actually a little faster than he had expected).

"It's using Tackle," warned Violet. "Chompy, block it!"

"Bellsprout sprout," Chompy replied as it moved its still-extended vines so they were positioned directly in Caterpie's way. The Worm Pokémon struggled valiantly, but ultimately, the Bellsprout was able to stop the Tackle attack completely. As Chompy retracted its vines, however, Caterpie showed no signs of giving up, and blasted several strands of what appeared to be white silk threads from its mouth. Within seconds, Chompy was encased in some sort of cocoon. It struggled to move as Caterpie charged forward for a second Tackle.

"Looks like Caterpie used String Shot," Red observed. "Chompy can hardly move.

"Fascinating," Orange replied; he was determinedly looking in any direction other than the battle.

"Chompy, Growth!" Violet commanded.

"Sproooooooouuuut!" bellowed Chompy as a greenish glow peeked through the sticky silk strands. Then, the String Shot was ripped right off as the Bellsprout's small form doubled in size. At the sight of its enemy becoming even larger, Caterpie screeched to a halt and squeaked feebly. As Chompy looked down on the Caterpie it now towered over, the latter Pokémon promptly fell over and was still.

"It's over, Orange," Red said, tapping Orange on the shoulder. "Caterpie passed out from sheer fright!"

"Oh, good," Orange sighed in relief. "As long as she doesn't try to-"

"Poké Ball, go!" Violet called as she heaved a red-and-white sphere at the unconscious Bug-type.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" bellowed Orange as the Poké Ball split open and sucked Caterpie inside. Violet, however, did not answer; her eyes were intently fixed on the ball as it wobbled back and forth, a red light blinking on and off on the button. And then, it was still.

"I caught a Caterpie," smirked Violet as she walked over and scooped up the ball. As this happened, Chompy's body shrunk back down to its usual proportions. "I think I'll name him 'Flutters'."

"'Flutters'?" repeated Orange. "You realize you caught a Caterpie, right? Not a Butterfree?"

"It'll become a Butterfree, moron. I'm planning ahead," Violet answered smoothly. "Same reason Bellsprout's name is Chompy. It's Victreebel who are known for chomping. I don't want to give Pokémon nicknames that won't suit them after they evolve."

"Like naming a Magikarp 'Fails'." nodded Red. "Suits it as a Magikarp, but once it evolves..."

"Exactly," smiled Violet.

"Look, can we just get the hell out of here?" pleaded Orange.

"Yeah, let's get moving," Red agreed.

"I guess so," sighed Violet. With that, she once again took the lead as the trio continued through the forest.


	4. Flight Of The Z4

The walk through the Ivadirin Forest was a slow one; the path was narrow and constantly twisting and turning. It really was a natural maze. To Orange, however, it seemed to take an eternity; Violet was leading the way, and had insisted upon allowing her new Caterpie to ride on her shoulder. Though Flutters appeared happy with this arrangement, the same could not be said for Orange, who spent most of the time cowering behind Red, much to his amusement and slight annoyance.

"Orange, come on," sighed Red for what had to be the ninth or tenth time. "It's a Caterpie. It's not gonna hurt you at all."

"You don't know that," replied Orange. "They have a mean Tackle attack, you know.

"Why don't you like Bug Pokémon anyway?"

"Because-" started Violet.

"Don't you dare!" Orange threatened as menacingly as he could while keeping his distance from the Caterpie. "Don't tell him!"

"Tell me what?" said Red.

"Nothing. It's nothing," Orange replied a little too quickly, his face reddening. Violet smirked at the sight of him but kept quiet.

"Hey!" came a voice from behind the trio. They simultaneously wheeled around and saw a young boy making his way through the dense, scrambled foliage. He was wearing a white shirt and brown shorts, a wide-brimmed hat, and he carried a butterfly net over his shoulder. "Are you three Pokémon trainers?" he asked.

"Yeah, we are," replied Violet. "I'm Violet, and this is Red, and this is Orange."

"Cool. My name's Jimmy, how about a battle?"

"Sure," Orange stated, but Violet interrupted him.

"Excuse me, Orange. I think this is as good a time as any to let my newest Pokémon gain some experience."

Orange said nothing, but hastened to stand directly behind Red as Violet and Jimmy stood and faced each other, leaving a large amount of admittedly narrow space between them for the battle.

"Two Pokémon each?" asked Jimmy.

"Fine by me," said Violet.

"Weedle! I choose you!" exclaimed Jimmy as he threw a Poké Ball. In a flash of light, a small, light yellow creature emerged. It was similarly proportioned to a Caterpie, and sported a large red nose. In place of Caterpie's Y-shaped antennae, Weedle sported a shining silver horn. Violet held her Pokédex out and aimed it at Jimmy's Pokémon.

"Weedle, the Hairy Bug Pokémon," the Pokédex droned. "Weedle possess an uncanny sense of smell, which it usually uses to tell different kinds of leaves apart. It fends off predators with its large, poisonous stinger."

'Let's go, Flutters!" Violet exclaimed to the Caterpie on her shoulder. Flutters chattered enthusiastically in response and leapt off, landing expertly on the ground and staring down Weedle.

"Weedle! String Shot!" ordered Jimmy.

"Dodge it!" called Violet.

From the tip of Weedle's horn exploded three strands of what appeared to be white silk. Flutters rolled off to the right, evading these strands altogether.

"Flutters, Tackle attack now!"

Flutters dashed forward as fast as its stubby legs would allow, and it plowed into Weedle's side.

"You gonna take that from the likes of a Caterpie?!" exclaimed Jimmy. "Weedle, Poison Sting attack!"

"Weeedle!" responded Weedle as its horn began to emanate a soft, purple glow. Then, a barrage of glowing purple needles were launched from its horn.

"Use String Shot on the needles!" Violet commanded.

Flutters unleashed multiple strands of string from its mouth, each string managing to get stuck on a poison needle. On Violet's order, the Caterpie then jerked its head in all directions, swinging the strings around. Finally, it broke off the String Shot strands from its mouth, causing the needles to fly back towards Weedle.

"What the..." muttered Jimmy, apparently too stunned by the Caterpie's skill to order any sort of defensive maneuver. Far too late, he noticed that Weedle had been struck by its own attack, and was now struggling to stay upright.

"Finish it, Flutters! Use Tackle!" Violet ordered triumphantly.

Flutters charged forward again, and slammed Weedle to the ground. This time, it did not get back up.

"Lucky shot," snapped Jimmy as he held out the Poké Ball, recalling Weedle. Then, he took out another Poké Ball and enlarged it. "But with this one, you don't stand a chance! I've just caught this one, but it's really powerful!" And he threw the ball. "Z4, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, a cube-shaped yellow Pokémon with numerous black and red markings appeared. It appeared to be about half the size of Orange's 44hy. As it floated in midair, it emitted a continuous low-pitched buzzing noise. Immediately, Orange let out an impossibly high-pitched shriek and slumped to the ground, unconscious. Violet held her Pokédex out again.

"Z4, the Box Bee Pokémon," it stated. "Z4 has the power to grow incredibly pointy stingers from any point on its body. Commonly found in forests, where they travel in large swarms."

Flutters, meanwhile, though still conscious, wasn't reacting to Z4's appearance all that much better than Orange was. It inched backwards, giving off weak, nervous cries.

"You got this, Flutters," Violet said soothingly. "Use String Shot."

"Z4, Horn Drill now!" commanded Jimmy.

Neither Pokémon obeyed, however. Flutters merely started to cry, while Z4 simply rose up into the air and increased the volume of its buzzing.

"Come on, Flutters," pleaded Violet.

"Z4! Get down here this instant!" Jimmy roared.

At this, Z4 dove back down- and right at Jimmy. Jimmy began backing off nervously as a rapidly spinning horn-like protrusion erupted from the front of Z4's body.

Red opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a chorus of ominous buzzing noises started up in the distance. Nervously, Red, Violet, Jimmy, and Orange, who had just regained consciousness, looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a horrific sight in the sky.

No fewer than three hundred Z4 were visible in the sky, and they were all making their way towards the group.

"It's... whole... swarm..." Orange muttered weakly before passing back out. Red and Violet exchanged panicked glances.

"RUN!" exclaimed Red.

Violet scooped up the unconscious Orange in her arms. Jimmy tried to withdraw his Z4, but once it joined with the oncoming swarm, he gave up the attempt and tossed the Poké Ball aside. As the four trainers made a break for it, a whimpering noise made Violet screech to a halt.

"I forgot Flutters!" she gasped. Turning around, she shifted Orange so her right arm was free. She then held out the Poké Ball, and called out, "Flutters, return now!"

A beam of red light burst forth from the ball's button, but by that time, the Z4 were closing in on them. One of the Z4 blocked the beam as two more closed in on the Caterpie.

"No!" exclaimed Violet. Without thinking, she dropped Orange to the ground and charged into the oncoming Z4.

"HEY!" exclaimed Jimmy. "What are you doing?! Charging into a swarm of Z4 is nothing short of suicide!"

Violet, however, did not heed this warning, and pushed her way past several dozen Z4. This, however, angered them. Their buzzing immediately became deeper and more menacing, and several of them sprouted numerous spikes.

Flutters watched as its trainer fought through the murderous swarm of Bug and Poison-types, fully realizing for the first time that this human really, really cared about it. Touched by this realization, the Caterpie sprang into action. It began rapid-firing its String Shot in all directions, causing many Z4 to get stuck to each other, including a duo who were about to sting Violet from behind. It began to make its way towards Violet, but at that moment, two Z4 slammed into Flutters from either side, nearly squashing it. The Z4 then began to rise up, intent on carrying the Caterpie away. Upon seeing this, Violet held out the Poké Ball and tried recalling it once more, but again, the beam was blocked by multiple Z4. As tears formed in Violet's eyes, Flutters struggled and squirmed from between the two Z4, but to no effect. Then, suddenly, the two Z4 were blinded as their captive began to glow brightly with white light.

Violet gasped, her eyes wide, as her little Caterpie, glowing brightly, started to change shape, and knocked its two Z4 captors aside in the process. The bright light had the added effect of scaring the Z4, it seemed, as many of them were flying away now. As this included the two Z4 that held the Caterpie in midair in the first place, Flutters began to fall. Violet ran forwards and caught her Pokémon in her arms just as the glowing ceased.

Flutters was definitely not a Caterpie anymore. Its wormlike body was now completely solid, encased in a steel-like green shell. "Metapod, Metapod," the new Pokémon said.

"Cool," grinned Red as Orange began to regain consciousness.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Jimmy. "Your Caterpie evolved into Metapod!"

"Huh... do what now?" muttered Orange as he unsteadily climbed to his feet, only to jump about a foot in the air when Violet proudly showed him her newly evolved Pokémon. Red, meanwhile, held out his Pokédex in the direction of Violet's Pokémon.

"Metapod, the Cocoon Pokémon, and the evolved form of Caterpie. It is encased in a nearly unbreakable shell for defense. Its Harden technique only improves on this defense."

"Yeah, cool, whatever," Orange stammered. "Now can you please put it back in its ball- LOOK OUT!"

For at that moment, one of the remaining Z4 darted forward, a large horn protruding from its front. It dove right at Violet's back. Violet wheeled around and shrieked at the sight. Flutters, however, wriggled out of Violet's arms and lunged forward, its shell now glowing with green light.

"It's using Harden," observed Jimmy. "And that Z4 is using Fury Attack."

Z4 and Flutters collided in midair. A loud crunching noise was heard, causing Violet to inhale sharply- but as the Metapod landed on the ground, it became clear who had won out; the Z4 was withdrawing the shattered remnants of its horn back into its body. It then gave three sharp buzzes, and led the few remaining Z4 away.

"That," breathed Jimmy, "was close."

"Too close," agreed Orange. "Vi, did you really charge into an oncoming swarm of Z4?"

"I had to save Flutters," replied Violet. "Besides, it's not like they actually managed to harm me or anything."

"You're extremely lucky," insisted Jimmy. "It looks like the most you got were a few scratches."

At this, Violet looked at her arms, and realized that they were indeed covered in tiny scratches.

"I'm gonna get going," continued Jimmy. "I want to see if I can catch a more obedient Z4."

"Good luck with that," said Red.

"Thanks! Bye!" called Jimmy as he started heading off in the direction from which the group had come in the first place.

"It's getting late," stated Violet once Jimmy was out of sight. "I think we should set up camp."

"Oh, HELL no!" declared Orange. "There is no way I'm gonna camp out in a forest just teeming with Bug-types!"

"Well, Red and I are," said Violet, "so if you want to go off by yourself into the Ivadirin Forest in the middle of the night, be my guest."

"Damn you," snarled Orange as he pulled a tightly rolled up, bright orange package out of his backpack. He unfurled it and let it fall to the ground, allowing Red to see that it was in fact a sleeping bag. Violet did the same thing, setting up a purple sleeping bag.

"...uh..." Red began.

"Hmm?" said Violet, looking up. "Let me guess, Red- you don't have a sleeping bag?"

"I do," Red stated, taking a crimson rolled-up object out of his backpack, "but it kinda ripped."

"That's no problem!" exclaimed Violet as she picked Flutters back up. "Flutters, can you use String Shot to fix Red's sleeping bag?"

"Metapod," replied Flutters, moving in a manner that seemed similar to nodding. Red unrolled the sleeping bag and held it up; it had split right down a seam on the side.

The Metapod set to work, slowly and carefully releasing sticky strands of string which glued the bag back together.

"Thanks, Flutters," smiled Red as Violet returned her Metapod to its Poké Ball.

Within minutes, Red, Violet, and Orange were all in their sleeping bags, and nearly asleep. Just as Red was about to drift off to sleep, a loud crunching sound in a nearby bush (which appeared to have gravel, roof tiles, and large drops of water in place of leaves) made him sit up. Peering into the darkness, Red could see the shadowy silhouette of a person approaching them.

"Psst!" hissed Red. "Orange! Violet! Wake up, quick!"

"Mmph... wha? Red, what are you- WHAT THE?!" screamed Orange as he suddenly noticed the shadowy figure coming closer.


	5. Meet Team Debug

Red, Orange, and Violet were now fully awake as the shadowy figure approached them. Violet slowly reached towards her belt. As her fingers brushed against Chompy's Poké Ball, however, the figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a grown man who now looked more hopelessly lost than dangerous. He was wearing odd, white clothing, and a large, green "D" could be seen on the front of his shirt.

"Hello?" said Red cautiously. The man jumped and finally looked at the trio.

"Wha? Oh... Oh, it's just a bunch of kids," he muttered, more to himself than anything, it seemed. "What are you doing camping out in Ivadirin Forest anyway? Don't you know it's dangerous?"

"Dangerous?" repeated Red. Orange, however, noticed the green "D" on the man's shirt, and his eyes narrowed.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "You're with that horrible Team Debug, aren't you?!"

"Horrible? Hardly," snorted the man. "Wait- are you three with Team Error?!"

"What? No!" exclaimed Violet, but too late; the man seemed beyond reason.

"I knew it. Team Error found out about our plan and now they're sending you secret agents to foil it! Well it won't work! We will eliminate the Glitch Pokémon and restore Tanko to its former glory!"

"...You're a loony," stated Orange after a moment's stunned silence. "You know that, right?"

In response, the man assumed an aggressive stance and took a Poké Ball off his belt. At this, Red, Orange, and Violet leapt out of their sleeping bags and stood upright, each of them grasping a Poké Ball of their own.

The man threw his ball first. "Take this, Team Error!" he bellowed.

In a flash of light, what appeared to be a large, knotted clump of blue seaweed materialized. Poking out from the bottom of the clump were two small, red feet. A pair of large, white eyes could be seen in the clump, poking out from the small gaps between the creepers. Violet grabbed her Pokédex and held it out at the Pokémon.

"Tangela, the Vine Pokémon," droned the device. "Tangela are immensely shy. If a Tangela's vines break off in battle, they regrow almost instantly."

"I got this," Red assured Orange and Violet. He threw the ball he was holding and shouted, "Charmander, let's go!"

In another flash of light, Red's Charmander appeared. It stood its ground, its tail flame blazing brightly in the night, and stared down the Tangela, whose eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of its fiery opponent.

"Tangela! Constrict!" roared the Team Debug grunt.

"Tang tang Tangela!" exclaimed Tangela as a pair of teal vines erupted forth from its tangled body and made to snake around Charmander.

"Charmander, Ember!" ordered Red.

"Char char!" Charmander replied as it wheeled around and flicked its tail back and forth, sending small flames flying at the Vine Pokémon. Tangela screeched in pain as the flames made contact, and the vines shrunk back into its body.

"Tangela, don't be such a wuss!" the grunt growled. "Use your Vine Whip!"

"Tang!" exclaimed Tangela as the vines re-emerged. This time, it slapped Charmander with the vines, knocking it back.

"Charmander, use your Scratch attack now!" Red commanded.

Charmander held up its right arm and charged at Tangela. Upon reaching it, Charmander brought its arm down and scratched its vine-cloaked adversary. The attack appeared to have little effect, however.

"Tangela have high Defense," sneered the man as Charmander backed away. "You honestly expect a physical move to harm it that much? Pathetic! Tangela, finish it! Skull Bash now!"

"Tangela la!" Tangela replied as it leaned forward and charged right at Charmander.

"Ember!" Red called out desperately!

Charmander wheeled around once more and sent a fresh wave of flames at the oncoming Tangela. It screeched in pain yet again, but this time collapsed to the ground and made no effort whatsoever to get up.

"Tangela, return," sighed the man as he held the Poké Ball out. Once Tangela was back in its ball, he turned to glare at the trio.

"What are you looking at us like that for?" demanded Orange.

"You may win this time, Team Error, but mark my words-"

"WE'RE NOT TEAM ERROR!" shouted Orange, Red, and Violet simultaneously.

"...Oh. Yeah, I guess not. I don't think they hire kids anyway," muttered the man. "And you're not wearing the uniform- those guys tend to be very brazen about that sort of thing. And you used a Charmander- Team Error goons wouldn't be caught dead with natural Pokémon."

"You couldn't have realized any of that _before_ the battle?" Orange asked.

"What do you mean, natural Pokémon?" Violet inquired.

"Natural Pokémon are Pokémon that are actually real, such as Charmander, Spearow, and Weezing, that sort of thing," the man explained. "Team Debug's goal is to ensure that natural Pokémon take back the Tanko region from the clutches of Glitch Pokémon."

"What are Glitch Pokémon, then?" asked Red.

"Abnormal beings posing as Pokémon," the man answered with a growl. "Usually square in shape with blocky markings. Stuff like 44Hy and Z4."

"Excuse me!" Orange exclaimed, now positively furious. "My first Pokémon happens to be a 44Hy!"

At this news, the man took a step forward in an alarming manner.

"Then you must act fast. Get rid of it and any other Glitch Pokémon you might have on you. Now, before it's too late! Mark my words, those abominations are no good!"

And with that, he wheeled around and stomped away.

"What a nutcase!" Orange exclaimed, still fuming. "44Hy is as natural as any other Pokémon."

"All due respect, I didn't see it as natural," Red chimed in. "In Kanto, I've never seen such Pokémon as the ones I've encountered here."

"I knew Team Debug and Team Error were dangerous weirdos," observed Violet, "but I didn't think they were extremists. Team Debug seems to want to wipe out entire races of Pokémon!"

"I won't deny it, Pokémon like Z4, .4, and 44Hy creep me out a little," Red stated, "But if you guys are fine with them, they can't be that bad.!"

"At least that guy didn't steal our Pokémon," Orange said as he checked his belt, confirming that both Poké Balls were still there.

"Yeah," Violet agreed as she mimicked this action, to discover that both Chompy and Flutters were still there.

"Yeah, cause they seem a lot like this gang back in Kanto- oh, no," Red murmured.

"What?" asked Violet as Red pulled a Poké Ball off his belt.

"One of my Poké Balls is missing!" Red exclaimed as he held out the one he had left, which opened up to reveal his Rattata.

"That crook stole your Charmander!" Orange exclaimed.

Without another word, the trio dashed off into the woods in the direction the Team Debug grunt had gone, Red pausing briefly to call Rattata back.

Red, Orange, and Violet made their way through scrambled trees, rocks, and fragments of brick, and just two minutes in, had caught up to the grunt. He was looking at a Poké Ball in his hand and smirking in a smug manner.

"Stop, thief!" Red exclaimed.

"Hmm?" the man replied as he turned around to face the trio. "Ah, it's you three again. I'll admit, you're lucky to have caught up to me. I was banking on you to fall back asleep after I left, and you wouldn't have noticed Charmander's absence until the morning."

"You horrible man!" growled Violet. "How dare you steal someone else's Pokémon?!"

"Well, I'm not likely to tell you three. You appear to be very much against our cause, you see," said the man smoothly. "If I were to divulge anything about the secret plans of Team Debug, you're likely to just run off to the authorities. All I will say is that Charmander, as a Fire-type, is essential to our current plan."

"Just use your own Fire-type, then!" Red snarled. "Why steal one when you can catch one the legitimate way?"

"Because Poké Balls cost money, and my salary is pitiful," snapped the man. "Now I'll make you a deal. You three come with me and promise to keep quiet about anything you see, and I will give Charmander right back when we're done."

The three exchanged wary, suspicious glances. Orange shook his head and inconspicuously pointed at one of his Poké Balls and mouthed "44Hy". Red got the idea and winked. They then turned back to face the grunt.

"No deal," Red stated. "Give Charmander back now or else."

"Or else what?" sneered the grunt.

"Or else this!" shouted Orange as he took the Poké Ball off his belt and launched it into the air. "44Hy, hold him with Disable!"

In a flash of light, 44Hy materialized. Instantly, a pink aura came over its body, and the grunt suddenly found himself immobile, though his eyes bugged out in fear as he saw his assailant.

"I'll be taking that back, thanks," Red smirked as he swiped Charmander's Poké Ball out of the crook's hand.

"Let him go, now, 44Hy," said Orange.

"Hyyy," replied 44Hy as the pink aura vanished.

As soon as the grunt realized he was now able to move, he staggered backwards, cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and screamed,

"HEY! THERE'S A GLITCH OVER HERE! ATTACK NOW!"

With a great rustling of leaves and roof tiles, five Team Debug grunts leapt down out of the surrounding trees, and stood in a circle, surrounding the trio. Each one of them held a Poké Ball.

"Not good," muttered Orange.

"GO!" exclaimed the five grunts simultaneously as they launched their Poké Balls. As the spheres split open, blinding light surrounded the trio. As it faded, Red observed the presence of five different Pokémon. One had a small, round body with lithe arms and legs and a long, skinny tail. A snout could be seen just beneath its eyes, which were narrowed in perpetual anger. Another one had a dark blue body with thin legs that had no feet, and it stayed airborne by constantly flapping its wings, which were purple on the inside. Though its mouth was constantly open, baring its sharp fangs, it had no eyes. The third was a Rattata. One looked like an oversized Poké Ball with angry eyes and no button. The final one, fishlike in shape, flopped about on the ground. Its body was coated in crimson scales, though its fins were yellow. Red, Orange, and Violet all took out their Pokédexes and pointed them at their opponents.

"Mankey, the Pig Monkey Pokémon," said Red's Pokédex. "Mankey is normally docile, but will become angry at the slightest provocation. You will not like Mankey when Mankey is angry. Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. A common sight in caves, Zubat unleashes soundwaves to locate its opponents. Overexposure to sunlight is unhealthy for it."

"Voltorb, the Ball Pokémon," stated Orange's Pokédex. "Voltorb's uncanny resemblance to a Poké Ball is unexplained. When angered, it will explode."

"Magikarp, the Fish Pokémon," chimed in Violet's Pokédex. "Though highly energetic, Magikarp is exceedingly weak. It is best known for its signature attack, Splash, which is completely useless."

"Pokémon League rules state that only one Pokémon can be used at a time!" exclaimed Orange.

"Orange, you're an idiot," snapped Violet. "You really think a bunch of crooks are going to care about league regulations? Chompy, Flutters, go!" she added as she threw both of her Poké Balls.

"Yeah, you too, .4!" Orange exclaimed as he tossed his remaining Poké Ball.

"I choose you, Rattata!" Red called as he launched a Poké Ball into the air.

Five more flashes of light, and Chompy the Bellsprout, Flutters the Metapod, .4, and Rattata materialized. 44Hy floated next to its teammates, ready for battle. All at once, everyone except the first grunt began shouting orders at their Pokémon.

"Mankey, hit Rattata with Low Kick!" growled a grunt.

"Dodge it and use Quick Attack!" Red shouted.

"Voltorb, use Tackle on the Metapod!"

"Flutters, Harden attack!"

"Rattata, use Water Gun on .4!"

".4, TM05!"

"Zubat, Leech Life on Bellsprout!"

"Chompy, Vine Whip!"

"Magikarp, Splash attack!"

"44Hy, Confusion!"

Mankey lunged forward foot-first and attempted to trip Red's Rattata, who darted out of the attack's path and plowed into Mankey's side, knocking it down. Voltorb rolled forward at a high speed, but Flutters's body took on a green glow and the attack appeared to have no effect. Rattata unleashed a stream of water from its mouth, but .4 vanished into thin air, and the attack missed completely. Zubat's fangs began glowing green as it swooped down on Chompy, who extended a pair of vines, succeeding at keeping the Bat Pokémon at bay. Magikarp flopped around in place to absolutely no effect whatsoever as 44Hy launched a ray of blue energy. Upon being hit by the attack, Magikarp fainted on the spot. As the grunt withdrew Magikarp, 44Hy turned to face the enemy's Rattata, and suddenly, two glowing orbs of bright white light formed above the Riverside Pokémon. The orbs shaped themselves to look like feet of some sort, and then launched themselves at the Rattata.

"What was that?!" exclaimed Violet as the Rattata fell over, unconscious.

"I think 44Hy learned how to use Double Kick!" Orange exclaimed. "44Hy, now use Double Kick on Voltorb!"

"Hyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" shrieked 44Hy as it rose high into the air and began to glow. Orange's eyes brimmed with tears of joy as the luminous cube grew in size until it was nearly twice as large as before. The glow then faded.

44Hy was gone; in its place, the black-and-yellow form of the Pokémon Red had seen on his Pokédex back in the Ivadirin City Pokémon Center. Orange triumphantly held his Pokédex up, pointing it right at his newly-evolved Pokémon.

"Q, the Deep Sea Pokémon, and the evolved form of 44Hy," stated the Pokédex. "When it starts to use its immense Psychic powers, its entire body lights up. It can dive underwater to great depths."

"Kyuuuuuuuuuu," called out Q in a soft, high-pitched, melodious voice.

"Ugh!" exclaimed one of the Team Debug grunts, a nauseated expression on his face as he stared at the newly evolved Deep Sea Pokémon. "It's _hideous!_"

"What?!" snarled Orange, a look of fury on his face. "How dare you!? Q, take out the rest of these Pokémon with Confusion!"

"Kyuuuuuuuuuuuuuu," replied Q as it fired off three rays of blue psychic energy from various points on its body. The rays struck Voltorb, Zubat, and Mankey, but only the latter two fainted. Voltorb, though badly hurt, was obviously still conscious.

"Voltorb, Voltorb," droned Voltorb in a mechanical voice as its body slowly began to emit yellow light.

"Is it evolving?" asked Orange.

"I don't think so," Red answered. "We ought to back up a bit."

"No. Voltorb, NO!" screamed the grunt as Voltorb's glowing body began to let loose a thin stream of black smoke- and then exploded violently and suddenly, throwing up a massive cloud of dust.

Once the dust cleared, it became clear that nobody was actually hurt by the attack- though Voltorb managed to knock itself out. But Chompy, Flutters, Red's Rattata, and Orange's .4 and Q were all unharmed.

"Damn it, Will!" snapped the grunt who owned the Mankey, violently addressing the Tangela-owning grunt. "This is all your fault!"

"What?!" the grunt named Will exclaimed, now all fired up. "How do you figure that?"

"If you hadn't taken your sweet old time swiping that Charmander, we could've started that fire by now and gotten rid of all the Z4!"

"_What?_" Orange, Red, and Violet said simultaneously, their voices thick with incredulity. Will and the other grunt jumped, having momentarily forgotten that the trio hadn't left. Will then slapped the other grunt in the face.

"You idiot!" Will exclaimed. "What are you doing, revealing our plan to these twerps?!"

"Ease up, I didn't tell them everything!" the other grunt shouted defensively.

"You just told them that we were gonna set Ivadirin Forest on fire and kill all the Z4!"

"...Oh. I guess I did tell them everything, then, didn't I?" the grunt muttered sheepishly. Will facepalmed.

"You horrible people!" Violet exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock and rage. "You do realize that a fire would've killed everything in this forest, including all the Caterpie and Metapod, the Weedle and Kakuna, and _us?!_"

"Look, we didn't make the decisions here," Will stated. "We just got our orders from the boss, and we're just carrying them out as planned. And you weren't exactly supposed to find out about them, _were they, Lou?_"

"Your boss's orders included arson and murder?" replied Red.

"He said there might be some casualties, but as long as we killed every single Z4 in the forest it would all be worth it," said Lou. "Now, if it's all the same to you, we'll be getting back to headquarters and-"

"Shut up!" snapped Will as he slapped Lou's face.

"Ow! What?!" exclaimed Lou.

"Don't give me that, you were about to say just where headquarters is located!"

"No, I most certainly... Uh... Oh. Wow, I guess I was," chuckled Lou sheepishly. Will facepalmed again.

"I don't think you'll be going anywhere," sneered Violet. "Flutters, hit 'em with String Shot!"

"Not so fast!" exclaimed one of the other grunts as he threw something small and dark to the ground. Whatever it was, upon impact with the ground it let loose a blast of black smoke that cleared away as quickly as it came. Flutters let loose String Shot, but it merely hit a combination rock/tree/concrete structure some five yards away; the grunts had vanished.

"Well, damn," sighed Red after a few moments' silence. "So what now?"

"What now?" repeated Orange. "Night or not, we get the hell out of here right now!"

"What about our sleeping bags and backpacks, though?" Violet wondered out loud. "We left them back at the campsite."

"Kyuuu," replied Q; the trio wheeled around to face Q, and saw that it was psychically levitating three sleeping bags and three backpacks around it.

"Still freaks me out a bit," grinned Red as he took his sleeping bag and backpack. "But I think I'm really starting to like Q."

"That's what I like to hear, Red," Orange grinned back as he took his own backpack and sleeping bag.

A minute later, Red, Orange, and Violet had stuffed their sleeping bags into their backpacks, put the backpacks on their backs, and withdrew their Pokémon. Then, all of them trying and failing to stifle large yawns, they set off into the depths of the Ivadirin Forest.


	6. Challenge Of Rewept Gym

The trio dashed through the forest for a solid half hour before they finally broke free of the natural maze of oddly shaped trees. Barely registering the mass of buildings before them, they continued to run until Orange pointed out the Pokémon Center, distinguishable from the other oddly designed buildings only by the large sign over the entrance which read "Pokémon Center".

"Oh, my!" exclaimed the nurse as she approached Red, Orange, and Violet, who had all collapsed into the seats nearest to them while trying to catch their breath. "What on earth made you run in here like that in the middle of the night?"

"We..." gasped Orange. "Wanted... out of forest... quick as possible... Team Debug..."

"Ah," replied the nurse, a sudden frown on her face. "Say no more. What were they up to now?"

"Tried... to start... forest fire... stole Charmander... got it back..."

"They what?!" exclaimed the nurse, now looking shocked.

"They stole my Charmander to try and start a forest fire," Red explained, as he wasn't quite as out of breath as Orange. "We got it back, but they escaped."

"This is outrageous!" the nurse half-shouted. "I knew those nutcases wanted to eliminate all sorts of Pokémon, but setting the Ivadirin Forest on fire?! Every Pokémon in that forest would have died!"

She continued on in this vein for some time, pacing in circles and ranting about Team Debug. About three minutes in, Red, Orange, and Violet exchanged glances. Violet then cleared her throat, reminding the nurse of their presence.

"Er... nurse?" said Violet. "Could you maybe heal our Pokémon?"

"Oh- oh! Of course, I'm so sorry, it's just these Team Debug crooks have got me so worked up... of course, of course, right this way..."

Not five minutes later, the trio's teams were fully healed. As the nurse got the Rewept Police on the phone to inform them of Team Debug's arson attempt, the group made their way to the rooms in the back that the nurse allowed them to use for the night, flopped down on the beds, and fell asleep within seconds.

When Red opened his eyes at 7:00 the next morning, his first thought was that an angry mob was attacking the center with chainsaws. Then he realized that the hideous, grating noises he was hearing were coming out of Orange's mouth; Orange was snoring extraordinarily loudly.

"Ugh... what the hell?" Red muttered, clearly at a loss as to how such noises could come out of one mouth. He then looked at Violet's bed; she was sound asleep. At that moment, however, Violet stirred, sat up, stretched, and pulled two small objects out of her ears. She then walked over to Orange's bed and nonchalantly slammed a pillow onto his head.

"Zzzz-hmm?! What?! Huh?!" exclaimed Orange as he woke up abruptly.

"You wear earplugs?" Red asked.

"Everyone in Talpel Town wears earplugs at night," Violet explained. "I'm guessing you figured out why."

"My snoring is not that loud," said Orange defensively.

"It sounded like about fifty chainsaws all going at once," Red said.

Choosing not to comment on this, Orange instead said, "We should probably get some breakfast, and then it's off to the Rewept Gym."

"I could eat, I guess," conceded Violet. With that, the trio walked out of the room and made their way to the Pokémon Center's cafeteria.

"What the...?" muttered Red as they all sat at a table and began to examine the menus. "Even number salad? Fried nine? What?"

"Oh, get the fried nine," Orange stated. "My mom makes that for breakfast sometimes and it is amazing."

"Um... I guess I'll give it a try," Red said uncertainly.

"Let me guess- numbers aren't generally on the menu in Kanto, are they?" asked Violet.

"No, not really," Red said quietly.

"Well, numbers make up most of what we eat in Tanko," Violet explained. "Each digit has its own sort of distinct flavor. Why don't you order the even number salad? That way you could try a nice variety of numbers, see what you like best?"

"Yeah, and I'll let you try my fried nines," added Orange.

"Thanks," Red smiled.

Just then, the three were approached by a large, pink, egg-shaped Pokémon with a real, white egg in a pouch on its stomach. It held a pad of paper and a pen in its short, stubby arms. Instinctively, Violet took out her Pokédex.

"Chansey, the Egg Pokémon," said the Pokédex. "Very rare and elusive. It will share its nutritious eggs with any injured Pokémon it meets."

"Chansey," the Chansey said, looking expectantly at the trio.

"Are you here to take our orders?" asked Red. Chansey nodded.

"OK, I'll have an order of fried nines with a glass of the fresh-squeezed four juice," Orange said.

"I'll have whole wheat zero toast with six jelly," Violet said.

"I'll have the even number salad," Red said.

"Chansey, Chansey!" exclaimed Chansey as she scribbled something down on the pad of paper she was holding, then walked away.

"So how are we gonna do this, anyway, challenging the Gym Leader?" asked Red. "I don't suppose they'd let us all battle the Gym Leader at the same time?"

At this, Orange burst out into laughter. Violet shot him a nasty glare, which went unnoticed by Orange for several minutes. Once Orange saw Violet glaring at him, he quieted down somewhat.

"Heh... And what, the Gym Leader would use three Pokémon at once, and each of us would only use one?" he chuckled.

Red shrugged. "Just an idea."

"It's against Pokémon League regulations for a trainer to use more than one Pokémon simultaneously in an official battle," Violet said. "I doubt any Gym Leader would go against that. We'll probably have our matches one right after the other. My mom told me that Gym Leaders have instant healing machines like Pokémon Centers do, so they can take on large amounts of challengers in a short period of time."

"What type does the Rewept Gym Leader specialize in anyway?" asked Red.

"I think I heard that Rewept Gym's specialty is Rock-types," answered Violet. "Nothing Chompy can't handle."

"Q and I are ready to rock!" added Orange, now grinning widely. "According to my Pokédex, Q's learned Water Gun since it evolved!"

Red, however, looked thoroughly downcast.

"What's up?" asked Violet.

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one?" Orange said. "It's obvious Red's realized his team doesn't stand a chance against Rock-types. Rattata and Charmander, that's not exactly-" At that point, however, Orange fell silent as Violet gave him yet another glare; Orange's words had very clearly done nothing to improve Red's mood.

"It's not hopeless, Red," Violet said patiently. "Remember one of those Debug Grunts had a Rattata that could use Water Gun? Maybe if you teach your Rattata the move, you'll have an easier time in the gym."

"How would I do that, though?" asked Red.

"Easiest way would be to use a TM," said Violet. "You know what TMs are?"

"Yeah," said Red. "Technical Machines. They're little disc-like things that can teach new moves to Pokémon. There's one for Water Gun?"

"I think so."

"Where are we gonna get one, though?" Orange asked. "TMs are kinda rare."

"Damn," sighed Red.

"There's another way," said Violet. "Red, you could have Rattata train with Q a little bit. If a Pokémon watches a move it can learn being used by another Pokémon, it can learn the move that way."

Red didn't answer for a moment, apparently considering this. At that moment, however, Chansey approached their table, carrying three large platters and placing them in front of the trio. Orange's plate contained what appeared to be large, dark brown number nines, looking as though they had been carved out of thick pieces of wood, along with a tall glass full of a bright orange liquid. Violet's plate contained what appeared to be a bagel sliced in half, though with a larger hole, each half coated in an odd blue jelly. Red was given a bowl containing multicolored twos, fours, sixes, and eights. He took small bites of each number, and found that Violet was right- each one had its own unique flavor. The twos tasted like carrots, the fours tasted like oranges, the sixes tasted like blueberries, and the eights tasted like ketchup.

"Hey, the sixes and eights aren't bad!" Red observed. "I'm not that fond of the twos or the fours, though."

"Mmmm," sighed Orange as he took a large bite out of a nine. "Red, you gotta try these."

Red speared a nine on his fork and took a bite of it. His eyes widened as the delicious taste of bacon filled his mouth. "Holy crap, this is good!" Red exclaimed.

"Huh? Huh? What did I tell you?" grinned Orange.

Once everybody had finished eating (many of the twos and fours of Red's salad remained untouched), Chansey came back over with a large scanner-esque device. She held the device over their Pokédexes, and then walked away.

"What was that about?" asked Red.

"Chansey was verifying that we're Pokémon trainers," explained Violet. "All Pokémon Centers allow trainers to use their services for free, didn't you know?"

"Oh, yeah," murmured Red as they got up out of their seats and walked towards the exit. "I think Professor Oak mentioned something like that, now that I think of it..."

Once they were out of the center, Orange took out a Poké Ball and enlarged it. Taking the cue, Red did the same. They both then tossed the spheres into the air simultaneously, and let Q and Rattata out into the open.

"OK, Rattata, we're gonna teach you the Water Gun attack," Red explained.

"Rattata?" replied Rattata questioningly. In answer, Q unleashed a stream of water from the center of one of the sides of its body, reducing a nearby boulder to gravel. Having observed this, Rattata took a deep breath, opened its mouth wide... and nothing.

The two repeated these motions for a whole hour. Red got excited at one point, claiming to have seen something fly from Rattata's mouth after one attempt; it turned out, however, to be spit. Once Rattata started to show signs of tiring, however, Red reluctantly called off the training session.

"Maybe it won't be as bad as I think it will," he said halfheartedly.

"Doubt it- OW!" exclaimed Orange as Violet stomped on his foot.

"Well, here we are," said Violet as the trio approached a massive structure that appeared to have been built out of tree limbs (complete with leaves), walls of solid rock, sixes, fours, and ice cubes. "Rewept City Pokémon Gym."

"Let's do this!" Orange exclaimed as he ran up to the large hedges which turned out to be double doors, shoved them open, and dashed inside. Violet and Red hastened to follow.

The inside of the gym was dark as dark can be. There was absolutely no telling how big it was. This was quickly rectified, however, as many spotlights on the ceiling turned on simultaneously, revealing the interior to be positively massive- the room was very long and wide, with a high ceiling. A large, rectangular area in the center of the room was marked off, obviously to serve as the battlefield. On the opposite side, a teenage girl with long, dark brown hair sat, clad in a pair of blue jeans and a light brown t-shirt.

"Welcome to the Rewept City Pokémon Gym," the girl said in a voice that echoed all around the cavernous structure. "My name is Minerva, and I'm this city's Gym Leader. And who are you?"

"I'm Orange McPixel from Talpel Town," announced Orange.

"Violet Scramble, also from Talpel Town," added Violet.

"Red Vershunn, from Pal- er, Talpel Town," said Red. Violet and Orange blinked, but otherwise showed no surprise at Red's lie about his hometown.

"We've all come to challenge this gym," Violet explained.

"Very well," Minerva answered. "But I cannot take you all on at once, it would go against Pokémon League regulations. I'll battle you in the order in which you introduced yourselves. Orange, was it? You first."

"Fine by me," grinned Orange as he stepped into a small, painted rectangle just outside the battlefield boundaries- obviously the spot in which the trainer was to stand.

"Here are the rules," stated Minerva. "We are each allowed two Pokémon, and the match is over when all Pokémon on one side are unable to continue. I'm not allowed to switch my Pokémon unless one faints, but you can switch at your leisure. Understand?"

Orange nodded.

"Then we begin," grinned Minerva as she produced a Poké Ball and threw it. "Geodude, go!"

The ball split open, and in a flash of light, what appeared to be a large, levitating boulder with eyes, a mouth, and thick, rocky arms materialized. "Geodude," it grunted.

"A Geodude," remarked Orange as he took his Pokédex out and pointed it at this airborne adversary.

"Geodude, the Rock Pokémon," said the Pokédex. "Geodude are a common sight in fields and mountains. When at rest, they are easily mistaken for ordinary rocks, and subsequently tripped over or stepped on."

"Let's do this!" Orange exclaimed, heaving a Poké Ball into the arena. ".4, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, Orange's .4 appeared, squealing happily in a high pitched voice and zooming around in circles, eager to fight.

"Geodude! Tackle!" Minerva ordered.

".4, use TM05!" Orange called.

Both Geodude and .4 zoomed forward, headed for each other at high speeds. At the last second, however, .4 pulled up and turned invisible.

"Geo?!" Geodude exclaimed, looking around frantically, trying to see where its opponent had gone.

"Use TM28 now!" commanded Orange.

The air behind Geodude exploded, sending it tumbling to the ground. .4 reappeared and gave a shrill giggle.

"Dude..." growled Geodude as it rose back into the air.

"Geodude, use your Rock Throw attack!" commanded Minerva.

".4, Agility!" Orange shouted.

.4 flew in circles around Geodude with increasing rapidity. Rocks formed out of thin air in Geodude's hands, and though it threw them in every direction, it failed to strike .4. Then. .4 rose high into the air and caught fire!

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Orange. His Pokédex, however, spoke up.

"TM09, an attack of the IIIItoto-type. An immensely powerful technique that no Pokémon type is resistant to."

"Awesome!" Orange exclaimed as .4's flaming form slammed hard into Geodude, causing a catastrophic and fiery explosion, kicking up dirt and dust. Once the dust settled, however, both Geodude and .4 were laying on the ground, not moving at all.

"What?!" Orange exclaimed as both he and Minerva withdrew their Pokémon.

"While TM09 is powerful, it causes the user to faint," continued the Pokédex.

"I really could have used that information sooner!" snapped Orange as both he and Minerva threw new Poké Balls. "Q, let's go!"

"I choose you, Rhyhorn!" exclaimed Minerva.

The thrown balls split open, and each one poured out bright white light. Before Orange materialized the cube-shaped form of Q. Before Minerva stood a creature that looked to be made entirely of gray rock, standing on four stumpy legs.

"Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokémon," said Orange's Pokédex. "Rhyhorn's bones are a thousand times harder than those of humans. Though not very bright, it is incredibly strong, and can demolish whole buildings just by charging into them."

"Alright, Q, Water Gun now!" Orange called.

"Use Horn Attack!" Minerva commanded.

Q unleashed a stream of water as Rhyhorn gave a loud roar and charged forward, its pointed horn aimed right at Q. Though it managed to muscle its way through the stream of water initially, the overwhelming type disadvantage became too much, and Rhyhorn collapsed to the floor. Down, but not out; it still attempted to climb back to its feet.

"Q, use your Confusion attack!" ordered Orange.

"Rhyhorn, Bide!" shouted Minerva.

Q launched a ray of blue light, while Rhyhorn's body took on a bright yellow glow. The Confusion met its mark, but Rhyhorn continued to glow. Then, Rhyhorn roared loudly, and launched a massive beam of yellow light right at Q, striking the Deep Sea Pokémon hard.

"Q!" exclaimed Orange. Fortunately, Q was still conscious; it floated in midair, albeit while wobbling dangerously.

"Never seen that attack before, have you?" smirked Minerva. "Bide allows a Pokémon to store energy from attacks it is hit with, and then it hits the opponent for twice that amount of damage. It's won me many battles against trainers who didn't see it coming."

"I got an idea," muttered Orange. "Q, use Disable!"

"What- no!" exclaimed Minerva. as Q's body took on a pink aura. The aura then spread to Rhyhorn's body.

"Not so confident now, are you?" sneered Orange. "It takes a little while for Disable to wear off, by which time this match will be over! Finish it, Q! Water Gun attack!"

Q gave its soft cry as it shot off another blast of water, striking Rhyhorn head on and causing it to collapse on its side. This time, Rhyhorn made no effort to move.

"Rhyhorn, return," sighed Minerva, holding out its Poké Ball as Orange did likewise with Q. Minerva then walked across the battlefield and approached Orange. "A fine battle, Orange. You've definitely earned this." And she held out her hand to Orange. In it was a small, gray object, which looked like a small cluster of gray circles. "It's the official Pokémon League Gravel Badge."

"Sweet!" Orange exclaimed as he swiped the badge from Minerva's hand, held it up, and gazed at it. Minerva then handed him what appeared to be a light gray CD. "What's this?" asked Orange.

"It's Technical Machine number 34," replied Minerva. "It'll teach Bide to a compatible Pokémon. Use it wisely. Violet, you're next, ready?"

"As I'll ever be," smiled Violet.

Minerva walked back over to her side of the battlefield, and placed her two Poké Balls in a small tray that protruded from the wall. She pressed a red button above the tray, and the Poké Balls quivered slightly. She then took them back off and reattached them to her belt.

"OK, now that my Pokémon are healed, let's get this started!" declared Minerva.

Violet took a Poké Ball, enlarged it, and threw it. "I choose you, Flutters!" called Violet.

In a flash of light, Flutters the Metapod materialized. Minerva blinked in surprise. "A Metapod?" she asked dubiously. "Well, OK..." She then produced, enlarged, and tossed a Poké Ball of her own. "Let's go, Geodude!"

Minerva's Geodude re-emerged in a brilliant blast of white light. It floated in midair, staring down its mainly immobile opponent.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!" commanded Minerva.

"Flutters, Harden attack!" ordered Violet.

"Metapod," replied Flutters as its body took on a green glow. Geodude threw a pair of stones at Flutters, but they bounced off its body with loud clanging noises.

"Flutters, String Shot, go!" Violet shouted.

"Metapod, Metapod," droned Flutters as it fired a blast of sticky white silk from the pointy topmost point of its body. Geodude made to dive out of the way, but moved too soon- the attack had hit, and Geodude was covered in gooey string.

"Now, Flutters, return!" Violet called, as she held out the Poké Ball. Once the Metapod had been withdrawn, Violet threw the other ball. "Chompy, let's go!"

In a flash of light, Chompy the Bellsprout materialized. It stared at its close to immobile opponent and chuckled.

"Geodude, Tackle attack!" Minerva ordered.

"Chompy, dodge it and use Growth!" Violet exclaimed.

Geodude dove down at Chompy, but moved so slowly that the Bellsprout was able to sidestep the move with ease. As Geodude attempted to extricate itself from the ground, Chompy's body took on a green aura and doubled in size.

"Now, Vine Whip!" commanded Violet.

"Sproooout!" exclaimed Chompy as it produced a pair of thick green vines from behind its leaves and slammed them into Geodude, who subsequently abandoned its attempt to get back into the air and ceased all movement.

"I see, now," Red nodded. "She had Flutters slow Geodude down to give Chompy more time to set up Growth."

"Cool," remarked Orange.

"Geodude, return!" said Minerva as she held Geodude's Poké Ball in one hand and threw her other one with the other hand. "Rhyhorn, you're up!"

Rhyhorn reappeared in a flash of light and glared at the oversized Bellsprout, who glared right back.

"Chompy, let's win this! Vine Whip attack!" Violet ordered.

"Rhyhorn, Bide now!" Minerva shouted.

As Rhyhorn took on a yellow glow, Chompy dashed forward and slammed its vines into Rhyhorn's body repeatedly. Though the move was clearly taking its toll, Rhyhorn was still standing, holding its ground defiantly. Then came the massive beam of yellow light. Chompy was plowed backwards by the force of the close-range attack, and as it came to rest half-buried at Violet's feet, it shrank back down to its regular size.

"No! Chompy, NO!" exclaimed Violet, though her frantic shouts did nothing to change the fact that her Bellsprout- her best hope against a Rock-type- was unconscious.

"Didn't think it'd be that easy," remarked Minerva, smirking as Violet withdrew Chompy. "I will say this, though, that Bellsprout really gave Rhyhorn here a good fight."

"It's up to you, now," sighed Violet, addressing the Poké Ball now in her right hand. "I know it's not the best matchup, but the battle's not over until it's over. Flutters, go!"

Violet heaved the Poké Ball, from which re-emerged the solid and nearly immobile form of Flutters the Metapod. Rhyhorn gave a derisive snort upon spotting its opponent.

"Rhyhorn, Horn Attack!" ordered Minerva.

"Flutters, Harden!" called Violet.

"Metapod," replied the Metapod as its body took on a green glow. Rhyhorn's lowered its head as it charged, and plowed into Flutters, sending it flying into the air and out of the arena. Violet scrambled backwards and caught Flutters in her arms.

"Flutters, if you don't want to do this anymore, it's OK," Violet said quietly. "It's my fault, I didn't even think that Chompy wouldn't have been able to take out Rhyhorn."

"Pod..." Flutters said quietly before its body took on a brilliant white glow.

"Wha-Flutters?!" Violet exclaimed, holding her now-blinding Bug-type out at arm's length. Through the bright light, Red could vaguely make out Flutters changing shape. The evolving Metapod rose into the air, and a moment later, the glow stopped. Flutters was no longer a Metapod. What hovered before them now had a purple body with two small blue hands, a pair of large red eyes, and a pair of large, white wings with thin black lines forming simple designs.

"Freeeh, freeeh!" exclaimed the newly evolved Butterfree as it rose higher in the air, flying around in circles.

"Woah!" exclaimed Orange, who no longer seemed frightened of Flutters. "A Butterfree!" Red, equally in awe, held his Pokédex out.

"Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon, and the evolved form of Metapod," droned the Pokédex. "A water-repellant dust coats its wings, allowing it to fly even in the rain. Butterfree are capable of using such techniques as Confusion and Sleep Powder."

"Consider me impressed," Minerva smiled. "First time I've ever seen a challenger's Pokémon evolve mid-battle. OK, Rhyhorn, use your Thunderbolt attack!"

"Flutters, Sleep Powder!" exclaimed Violet.

"Freeeh, freeeh!" Flutters exclaimed as it flapped its wings and flew directly above Rhyhorn, scattering a fine blue dust. Rhyhorn growled as its body crackled with electricity, but this quickly gave way to rumbling snores to rival Orange's as it slumped to the ground.

"Finish it! Confusion attack!" Violet commanded.

"Wake up, Rhyhorn!" Minerva was screaming, but no use; Flutters unleashed twin beams of blue light from its eyes, striking Rhyhorn hard. The Spikes Pokémon rolled over three times and came to rest at Minerva's feet- though the Confusion had jolted it awake, it had knocked it out almost immediately afterwards.

"Well done," sighed Minerva as she withdrew Rhyhorn and approached Violet. Once Minerva reached the challenger's side of the arena, she handed another Gravel Badge and TM34 to Violet.

"Thanks," Violet grinned as she accepted the items.

"You earned them," smiled Minerva. "OK, Red, your turn. Are you ready?"

"...I guess," sighed Red. In truth, he didn't feel ready at all, given that none of his Pokémon had any sort of move that could be effective on a Rock-type.

"You know, you don't have to do this now, Red," Violet said kindly. "We can help you train-"

"Thanks, Violet, but... I want to at least give it a shot," said Red, giving a brave attempt at a smile. "I'm not always going to be at an advantage, so I might as well get some practice trying to win in spite of a disadvantage."

"Wow," Violet said as Minerva crossed back over to her side of the battlefield. "Well, good luck, Red!"

"Thanks," Red smiled as he turned to face Minerva.

"Yeah, we're behind you all the way, Red!" added Orange. He then leaned over and muttered to Violet, "He's screwed, isn't he?"


	7. Red's Rattata Run

Red took several deep breaths to steady himself as he stared across the giant battlefield, though he knew that his Charmander and Rattata didn't really stand a chance against a Geodude and Rhyhorn. Across the arena, Minerva had finished healing her Pokémon, and so heaved her first Poké Ball onto the field. "Geodude, go!" she called out.

The ball split open, allowing the spherical floating boulder to materialize yet again. "Geodude," grunted Geodude.

"OK," Red said quietly to himself as he frantically racked his brain for possible strategies. When nothing that seemed likely to work came to him, he ceased this and instead simply took a Poké Ball off his belt, enlarged it, and tossed it onto the rocky field. "I choose you, Rattata!" called Red.

Rattata emerged onto the battlefield as soon as the Poké Ball opened up. It landed on the ground and faced Geodude defiantly, not seeming to care about its apparent disadvantage.

"Geodude, Tackle attack now!" Minerva called.

"Rattata, Tail Whip!" Red ordered.

As Geodude charged forward, Rattata wheeled around and wagged its tail. Bewildered at this pointless action, Geodude slowed down.

"Don't let your defense down, Geodude, that's what they're after!" Minerva warned. "Use Defense Curl!"

"Geodude," replied Geodude as it landed on the ground and folded its arms tightly, seeming to now form a perfect sphere.

"Use Quick Attack!" Red shouted.

"Rrrrrrrrrattata!" shrieked Rattata as it charged across the battlefield at blinding speeds and struck Geodude. Thought the Rock Pokémon obviously wasn't hurt that much by the attack, it remained unable to, in its current spherical state, stop itself from rolling backwards uncontrollably as a result of the impact. Geodude rolled back until it crashed into the back wall.

"Wow," Orange said. "That was pretty cool."

"I wasn't sure if that would work," said Red. "Nice job, Rattata."

"Rattata!" exclaimed Rattata happily.

"Come on, Geodude," encouraged Minerva as her Pokémon unsteadily rose back into the air, still apparently dizzy from its unexpected trip.

"Duuuude," groaned Geodude.

"Shake it off, Geodude, you've taken harder hits than that before. Show them your Mega Punch!"

"Rattata, return," Red said as he held out the Poké Ball. The red beam of light exploded forth from the Poké Ball's button, recalling Rattata before Geodude could even begin its attack. Red then threw another ball. "Charmander, let's go!" he shouted.

The Poké Ball split open in midair and spilled out a mass of shapeless white energy which quickly formed itself into Red's Fire-type. "Char, char!" it exclaimed.

"Geodude, Rock Throw!" Minerva called out.

"Charmander Growl!" Red ordered.

"Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!" Charmander shouted, its voice noticeably more grating than usual. Geodude held out its arms, but before the rocks could form, it was clapping its hands over what Red supposed were its ears, groaning in agony as Charmander continued the Growl attack.

"Smart move," Violet commented. "Growl lowers an opponent's attacking power."

"Now, Charmander, Ember!" Red commanded.

"Char char char!" Charmander responded as it wheeled around and wagged its tail as Rattata had done. Small flames flew off of its tail and struck Geodude, who had only begun to recover from the Growl attack.

"Mega Punch now!" Minerva called out.

"Dude!" Geodude shouted as it suddenly charged forward, its right fist connecting with Charmander's stomach, sending it flying backwards Charmander screamed as it landed on the ground in front of Red and began to unsteadily climb back to its feet.

"Charmander, take a rest," said Red as he held the ball out. Once Charmander had been withdrawn, Red threw his other Poké Ball. "Back out again, Rattata!"

"Rattata!" exclaimed Rattata upon being sent out again. Red then got a proper look at Geodude and noticed that parts of its rocky hide had been blackened.

"Yes!" Red exclaimed. "Charmander's Ember attack burned Geodude! Rattata, let's finish this! Use Quick Attack!"

"Ratta...TAAAA!" bellowed Rattata. Instead of charging forward, however, a stream of water issued from its gaping mouth, striking Geodude hard.

"WHAT?!" Minerva screamed. "How the..."

"I can't believe it!" Violet exclaimed. "The training worked after all! Red, Rattata's learned Water Gun!"

"Yes! YES!" cheered Red. "It's not over yet! Rattata, Water Gun once more!"

"Ratta... TAAAA!" repeated Rattata as it issued another jet of water.

"Quick, Geodude, Mega Punch now!" Minerva ordered, but too late; Rattata's Water Gun connected with the semiconscious Rock-type, and it fell to the floor with a loud crashing noise, where it made no effort to get back up.

"Geodude, return," scowled Minerva, clearly displeased that her Pokémon had been defeated by such a stroke of luck. "Not bad, Red, but you'll soon learn that luck can only get you so far. Rhyhorn, I choose you!"

Minerva yelled these last four words as she launched her second Poké Ball, unleashing her Rhyhorn into the fray.

"Rattata, Water Gun! Let's end it here and now!" Red called out.

"Rhyhorn, Bide!" Minerva shouted.

As Rhyhorn began to focus, Rattata fired off a continuous stream of water from its mouth.

"Don't give it a chance to launch Bide!" Red warned Rattata. "You keep that Water Gun going, Rattata! Soak that Rhyhorn until it faints!"

After many tense seconds of watching, Rhyhorn suddenly fired off a large yellow beam of energy, cutting through the continual Water Gun, and plowing Rattata halfway into the ground. As the Rat Pokémon struggled to climb back out, Minerva gave another command; "Finish it with Stomp!"

Rhyhorn dashed forwards at a high speed. Despite Red's frantic commands for more Water Gun usage, Rattata was too worn out to do much more than continue to pull itself out of the ground. Rhyhorn then reared up upon approaching Rattata and brought its right front foot down hard on it. As it backed off, a clearly unconscious Rattata could be seen.

"No... Rattata, return," Red sighed as he withdrew Rattata. "I can't believe I made the same mistake Violet did."

"I can't believe that Water Gun couldn't knock out Rhyhorn," Violet said.

"I can't believe it's not butter," said Orange. "What?" he added defensively as Violet glared at him.

"Well, this is it, then," Red said as he threw another Poké Ball. "Charmander, it's up to you!"

As Charmander reappeared, it was clear that though it had recovered somewhat, it had retained most of the damage dealt by Geodude's Mega Punch.

"Let's make this quick, Rhyhorn," said Minerva. "Horn Attack!"

"Charmander, Ember attack!" Red shouted.

Charmander wheeled around, wagging its tail and sending embers flying as Rhyhorn charged forward. The flames pelted its body, but it did not slow down. It collided with Charmander, horn-first, knocking it backwards.

"Charmander!" Red shouted as his Pokémon struggled to get back to its feet for the second time in one battle. This time, however, most of the attempt was obscured by the sudden appearance of a dazzling white glow around Charmander's entire body.

"Oh, come on!" Minerva exclaimed. "It was kinda cool when the Metapod did it, but now it's downright repetitive!"

Indeed, Charmander was evolving.

"Yes! YES!" Red exclaimed loudly, as he tried and failed to conceal a wide grin as the glow faded, revealing Charmander to have been replaced by a slightly taller creature. Though built similarly to Charmander, this Pokémon looked decidedly more powerful. Maybe it was what appeared to be a perpetual look of total confidence in its eyes, maybe it was the fact that its tail was thicker and longer, topped with a larger flame, maybe it was the fact that its formerly orange scales were now a bright crimson.

"Chaaaaaaaar!" roared the new Pokémon in a decidedly deeper voice.

"Oh, sweet! It evolved into a Charmeleon!" Orange breathed, holding out his Pokédex as Red did the same.

"Charmeleon, the Flame Pokémon, and the evolved form of Charmander," said both Pokédexes simultaneously. "Charmeleon is at its happiest when engaged in a tough fight. It attacks its foes mercilessly and will not stop until it has won."

Red then looked at his Pokédex- it was displaying a new move for Charmeleon. Still grinning, he and Charmeleon exchanged looks. Both of them were now very confident.

"Ready to win this, Charmeleon?" asked Red.

"Char," Charmeleon replied, nodding.

"Then let's give them a Flamethrower!" Red commanded. Charmeleon was more than happy to oblige as it unleashed from its mouth a massive stream of flames. Rhyhorn, on Minerva's frantic command, prepared to use Bide, but the move proved to be far too much for the Spikes Pokémon to handle. Charmeleon stopped the attack after a few moments, at which point the completely charred and blackened Rhyhorn tipped over and fell on its side with an earth-shaking crash, and moved no more.

"WE DID IT!" Red cheered loudly. "I won! We won! Come here, Charmeleon!"

As Red and Charmeleon hugged each other, Minerva sighed, wordlessly withdrew Rhyhorn, then approached Red.

"Well, even if it did seem a little too much like how Violet won," said Minerva, "the fact remains that you beat me, fair and square, Red." She then held out her hand, in which was contained a Gravel Badge and a TM34. Red accepted them gratefully.

"Thanks," he said as he withdrew Charmeleon. "I still can't believe we did it, though!"

"So where are you three headed next, anyway?" asked Minerva. "Going after all the badges?"

"That we are," said Red. "I don't suppose you'd happen to know where the nearest Gym is?"

"Well, there's the Ivadirin Gym, though I heard the leader's been absent for some time now," said Minerva. "There's a Gym in Ruceelna City, you might want to check that out. It's just on the other side of Moon Canyon.

"Moon Canyon?" repeated Red.

"Yeah," said Orange. "It's supposed to be this large canyon that supposedly started forming when a huge meteor from space crashed into the ground and split it in half."

"Correct," said Minerva.

As the trio exited the Gym and made for the Pokémon Center, Red spoke up again. "In Kanto, there's a city just east of Pewter City, called Cerulean City. I'm gonna go ahead and guess that Ruceelna is spelled R-U-C-E-E-L-N-A?

"Yeah, why- ohhhhhhh," said Orange. "Those letters when rearranged, spell Cerulean?"

"Yep," said Red.

"Still freaky," sighed Orange, shaking his head.

"What about Moon Canyon?" asked Violet. "Anything like that in Kanto?"

Red shook his head. "No canyons, but between Pewter City and Cerulean City, there's this huge mountain called Mt. Moon, which supposedly formed from a large meteor. I'm guessing Moon Canyon was named because the meteor that crashed was supposed to have been from the moon?"

"Bingo," said Orange. "According to rumor, the meteor broke into thousands of fragments- Moon Stones, which can be used to evolve various Pokémon."

"Those I know about," Red nodded. "Professor Oak told me about them. So, should we head out?"

"I'm thinking we should hit the Pokémon Center first, actually," said Violet. "Almost all of our Pokémon are kinda wiped out from the gym."

"Good point," conceded Red, who then proceeded to lead the way to the Pokémon Center, ignoring Orange's whining about how they were supposedly wasting valuable time. Orange continued in this vein as they entered the center, as the nurse healed their Pokémon, and as they exited.

"...and furthermore, going back to the Pokémon Center is gonna take so long, you know how crowded these places get at this time of the day, and-"

"ORANGE!" shouted Violet. "In case you haven't noticed, we just left the Pokémon Center. It took less than two minutes for that nice nurse to heal our Pokémon. And we most certainly have not wasted our entire day!"

"...oh," Orange replied lamely at length. "Well, it still could've gone that way easily."

"Orange?" said Violet.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Minutes later, they approached a road of roof tiles, drywall, and tree bark, flanked by what appeared to be large heaps of crushed ice, pencil shavings, and clumps of grass. According to a nearby sign, they were leaving Rewept City and approaching Route -3.

"Alright, let's try and catch more Pokémon!" Orange exclaimed excitedly as he ran down the road, looking excitedly in all directions. Violet sighed and followed at a leisurely pace, followed by Red, who was warily eyeing a distant swarm of .4.

Before long, Orange screeched to a halt, as he spotted floating before him a rectangular Pokémon with orange and purple markings. It was at least three feet wide, though no more than a foot tall. It gave an unintelligible squeak upon noticing Orange, Red, and Violet, the latter two of whom had just caught up.

"What is that?" Red asked. As an answer, Orange held out his Pokédex.

"A, the Speed Demon Pokémon," droned the device. "A has exceptionally pitiful offensive capabilities, but is among the fastest of any known Pokémon. Very rare, A prefer to live solitary lives."

"Oh, sweet!" Orange exclaimed. "A are so rare! I gotta catch this!" Wasting no time, he took a Poké Ball and launched it. "Attack it, Q!" he exclaimed.

The ball opened up, allowing Orange's Q to materialize. At the sight of its Water/Psychic adversary, A rose slightly to match Q's height.

"Q, use your Headbutt attack!" ordered Orange.

"Kyuuuu," replied Q softly as it charged forward. A reacted swiftly by cartwheeling in place, resembling an oddly colored propeller as it unleashed a powerful wind. Q cried out in pain as the attack landed.

"That's A's Razor Wind," warned Violet.

"Yeah, I know that!" Orange replied impatiently. "Q, try Confusion!"

Q launched a beam of blue psychic energy, to which A responded by firing off a barrage of gold coins from the center of its body. The Pay Day attack was not nearly enough to keep Confusion at bay. Indeed, as the Psychic move struck its Normal/Normal-type target, Q made use of its psychic powers to pick up the coins and drop them in Orange's pockets. Upon taking the hit, A did not hit the ground, but it did seem a little less steady in its floating. Satisfied, Orange produced an empty Poké Ball from his backpack. A squeaked in fright at the sight of the sphere.

"Poké Ball! Go!" Orange shouted. Screaming in protest, A zipped away and was back within seconds, shoving what appeared to be a brown bird with red wings into the path of the sphere instead. This new Pokémon was violently struggling against the A, but was suctioned into the ball nonetheless. Once this happened, A flew off into the distance with such swiftness that Red merely had to blink before the Speed Demon Pokémon was gone.

"Awww!" Orange complained as he picked up the Poké Ball. "I wanted A! Not this thing!"

"What did you catch, anyway?" asked Red. "It all happened so fast I didn't get a good look."

In answer, Orange threw the ball straight up. In a flash of light, his new Pokémon materialized. Its plumage, though mainly brown, was also black in some spots, mainly the back of its head. Its wing feathers, on the other hand, were crimson.

"Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon," droned Orange's Pokédex. "Spearow will fly at great speeds in order to defend its territory. It is known for its vicious temperament."

"Speeeeeeeeeearowwww!" cawed the Spearow, obviously displeased at having been captured as it dove towards Orange, who ducked just in time.

"Call it back, Orange!" Violet shouted.

"Spearow, return now!" Orange called hastily, holding out the Poké Ball as Spearow wheeled around for a second attempt.

"Orange, maybe you should release Spearow," said Red. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you finally caught a Pokémon I'm actually familiar with, but it seems a bit unruly."

"Are you kidding?" responded Orange, breaking out into a wide grin. "Spearow's just gotta get used to me, that's all. Nothing a few battles won't fix. Come on!" And he took off down the road yet again.

"Don't take it personally, Red," sighed Violet as the two of them began walking after Orange yet again. "The better the advice is, the less likely he is to take it."

"I'm beginning to pick up on that, yeah," replied Red.

"Hey! I saw you in Ivadirin Forest!" exclaimed a young boy dressed in a white shirt, shorts, and a wide-brimmed hat. A butterfly net was slung over his shoulder.

Orange screeched to a halt and addressed the youth. "Jimmy?"

"No, no, my name's Calvin," replied the Bug Catcher. "I know Jimmy, though. No, I just saw you running for the exit last night, like your life depended on it. What was that about anyway?"

"Long story," shrugged Orange as Violet and Red caught up. "But you didn't stop me just to hear that."

"That's what I want to hear from a Pokémon Trainer!" exclaimed Calvin, suddenly producing a Poké Ball and throwing it. "Pokémon fight! Go, Caterpie!"

Calvin's Poké Ball split open to reveal the diminutive Bug-type, identical to what Flutters had looked like when Violet first caught it. Orange suppressed a shudder at the sight of Caterpie, then threw his own Poké Ball. "Let's do it! Spearow, I choose you!"

"Orange, are you insane?" Violet demanded as Spearow emerged from the ball, cawing loudly.

"I know what I'm doing," Orange said dismissively as he consulted his Pokédex. "Spearow, use Peck!"

"Speeeeee!" was Spearow's response as it rose high into the air and dove back down- right at Orange. Calvin and his Caterpie exchanged glances as Orange evaded an attack from his own Pokémon.

"Not me, birdbrain!" exclaimed Orange. "Attack the Caterpie! Peck!"

"Rooooooowwwwwwwwwwww!" replied Spearow as it dive-bombed its trainer yet again, who had to back up hastily to evade it (stepping on Violet's feet in the process)

"Yeah, this is going nowhere fast," Calvin said as he withdrew Caterpie. "Good luck with that angry bird."

"Hey... HEY, THAT MEANS YOU FORFEIT, YOU KNOW!" bellowed Orange as Calvin walked away. "I WIN BY DEFAUL- OW! Spearow, cut that out!" he added as Spearow slammed into its trainer's head. Orange hastily made to withdraw Spearow. "What?" he asked, for Violet was looking at him and rolling her eyes. "It's a forfeit if the other guy just gives up and walks away, right?"

"Pretty sure in an official match, you'd have been disqualified for using a disobedient Pokémon long before the opponent would have thought to quit," said Violet.

"Well, how else is Spearow gonna learn to obey me?" Orange said defensively. "Gotta work with it, don't I?"

"He's got a point, I guess," conceded Red.

"Fine," Violet sighed, rolling her eyes yet again. "Just don't use it against other trainers until it starts listening to you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever- ooh! Another trainer!" Orange exclaimed, having spotted a figure in the distance. "Hey! HEY! You want to battle my Spearow?" he shouted as he ran after the figure.

"I see what you mean about how he takes advice," said Red as he and Violet walked off after him.


	8. Bad Day At Moon Canyon

"Spearow, Fury Attack!" commanded Orange.

"Z4, use your own Fury Attack!" said Orange's Bug Catcher opponent.

The enemy's Z4 sprouted several sharp stingers all over its body and threw itself through the air, though Orange's Spearow took no notice as it flew up high and attempted to dive-bomb its own trainer.

"Hey! HEY!" roared Orange as he narrowly avoided being skewered by his own Spearow. "Not me, Spearow! Attack the enemy!"

"...OK..." the Bug Catcher said slowly, as he realized that the battle wasn't likely to go anywhere fast. "I'm just gonna... leave now." He then proceeded to withdraw Z4 back into its Poké Ball and slowly walk away.

"Hah! I win again! You forfeit! I win aga-OW!" Orange exclaimed as Spearow slammed into him. "Spearow, return!"

Once Spearow was back in its Poké Ball, Red and Violet approached him. Orange grinned at his companions.

"Another victory for me!" he said. "That's four in a row now!"

"They didn't forfeit," sighed Violet for what felt like the trillionth time that day. "They knew your Spearow wasn't gonna attack their Pokémon, so they just left."

"Hey, they're the ones with no patience!" Orange said. "They leave, they forfeit!"

"Orange?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Though Orange stopped talking, he still shot a glare at Violet as the trio continued walking.

The scenery changed somewhat. Though it still looked as random as ever, there was more rock than ever mixed in with the weird square puddles of water, stacks of roofing tiles, and tall trees that looked like they were shoddily built out of fragments of drywall, chunks of brick, ice cubes, and tin cans. Then, Red saw it.

"Whoa," he murmured. For at that point, the ground looked as if it had been cracked open, on a massive scale. The resulting chasm was several miles across, easily.

"Yep," nodded Orange. "This is Moon Canyon."

The walls of Moon Canyon looked very much like the ground on which they walked- random chunks of rock, dirt, grass, odd and out-of-place puddles of water, and the occasional number. Numerous large holes could be seen in various parts of the walls, presumably leading to a network of underground tunnels.

"So how do we get across?" asked Red.

"Oh! I got it!" exclaimed Orange. "Maybe if we get up a good running start, we can jump across it! What?" he added defensively, for Red and Violet had both turned to him with odd expressions on their faces.

"Orange, a Hitmonlee wouldn't be able to make that jump," Violet said. "You can't seriously think you'd be able to."

"Wait a minute," Red said thoughtfully. "I got an idea. What if we just have Q float us across with its psychic powers?"

"Huh... that's actually a good idea," nodded Violet.

"Yeah!" added Orange.

"Nope," came a gruff voice from behind the trio. Simultaneously, they wheeled around to find themselves face-to-face with a very bulky man in hiking gear. "'Fraid that won't work. You ain't the first trainers with ideas like that, I'll have you know."

"Who are you?" asked Red.

"Name's Marc," replied the man. "I'm a hiker, see. Came out to Moon Canyon for a little fun. Gonna climb down one side, then go up the other. That's yer best bet, far as getting across this thing is concerned."

"I'm no good at that sort of thing," Violet said quietly. "Why didn't they just build a bridge across it anyway?"

"They did," Marc said. "Only thing is, there weren't enough funds, so they had to go with one of them cheap rope bridges. Snapped like a twig just two weeks back. Just glad no one was hurt, it had just been due to some Zubat gnawing on the ropes."

"So why don't they fix it?" asked Orange.

Marc shrugged. "Damned if I know," he said. "Probably they realized that kind of bridge weren't that safe, and they're saving up to build something more reliable."

"Wait a minute," Red said. "Why wouldn't using Q's psychic powers to float across the canyon work anyway?"

"Ah, now, as fer that, I can't really say for sure. Telekinetic power never seemed to work right around this canyon. Some say it was cause of that giant Moon Stone what formed this thing to begin with, but I dunno. So anyways, I dunno about you, but I'm climbing my way across that canyon." With that, he headed towards the edge and slowly began to climb down. Red peered over the side and saw that Marc was taking advantage of places where the rocks and numbers jutted out of the canyon's sides, using them to climb down the sheer slope as if it were a ladder.

"That doesn't look too hard, actually," said Red. "What say we give it a shot?"

"I dunno," Orange said warily.

"Orange, stop being such a wuss," snapped Violet. "Red's right, it looks a lot easier than I thought it would be. What's the worst that can happen?"

Though still clearly uncertain about the whole thing, Orange relented. Red started down the side of the canyon, followed by Violet, who was followed by Orange. Red was right- it _was_ easy. The rocks and numbers that jutted out proved to be more than capable of supporting their weight, and were very easy to grip. About halfway down, however, a loud cracking noise could be heard from above Red, followed by Orange's mutter of "Uh-oh."

"I'm almost afraid to ask-" began Red before Orange, having accidentally dislodged a seven with his foot, lost his balance completely and fell onto Violet, who fell onto Red, sending the three trainers plummeting into the abyss.

Down they fell, until with a great SPLASH, they landed in what appeared to be a small pond at the bottom of the canyon, except it seemed to be immeasurably deep. As Red climbed out, he saw Violet doing the same. Then he looked around and realized who was missing.

"Where's Orange?" asked Red.

"Oh, no," gasped Violet. "He can't swim! And these things can get up to fifty feet deep!"

"Oh, man," said Red as Violet got ready to jump back into the water, tears starting to form in her eyes. "Oh, damn! Violet, we gotta do something."

"I'm gonna jump in after him," Violet declared as she approached the edge of the water. Just as she bent her knees and prepared to jump, however, a familiar redheaded figure broke through the surface of the water.

"Orange!" Red exclaimed. "Are you OK- What in the _hell_ are you riding?" For beneath Orange was a strange cubelike being, three feet in every direction, with a blocky and random pattern of various shades of blue all over its body. Out of sheer curiosity, Red held his Pokédex out.

"LM4, the Bubble Cube Pokémon," droned Red's Pokédex. "Though famed for its violent battle style, LM4 is kind-hearted. It will always try to rescue any drowning human it encounters."

"L M," cooed LM4, happy that Orange was OK.

"Hey, guys!" grinned Orange. "Sorry about that. That was awesome, LM4 saved me!"

"I'm glad you're OK," said Red, grinning back. Violet, too, was smiling, though she remained quiet. LM4 drifted to the edge of the deep pond, allowing Orange to climb back onto dry land.

"Thanks, LM4," Orange said as the trio began to walk across the bottom of the canyon, making for the other side. They were shortly stopped, however, by Marc.

"You kids OK?" he asked. "I'd have helped out, only I couldn't climb down no faster."

"Yeah, we're fine, thanks," Violet said. "We-"

At that moment, however, a tremendous explosion rocked the entire canyon, coming from the trio's left. Red led the way as they ran over to see what was happening. Once the dust had settled, they could see a group of men, dressed in identical purple outfits, the shirts all emblazoned with a large, orange "E".

"Hey, what's going on here?" demanded Orange. This caused them to notice the trio.

"Hey! What are you kids doing here?" snapped one of the men, stepping forward, a Poké Ball in his right hand. "We're in the middle of an important mission here, so beat it!"

Violet, however, gasped. "Orange!" she breathed. "That's Team Error!"

"Oh, so you've heard of us, have you?" sneered another man. "Fans of ours, are you?"

"Hardly," Violet replied coldly. "I've heard of you, all right, the way you all cause all sorts of trouble, just like that Team Debug!"

At these words, many of the Team Error grunts let out low hisses.

"Do not compare us to those extremist nincompoops!" roared the first man. "Team Debug's goal is to wipe out entire races of Pokémon! We, the noble Team Error, exist to thwart the dastardly efforts of Team Debug!"

"So what do the explosions accomplish, anyway?" asked Orange.

"Simple," the second man replied. "Team Debug is funding research to have the fossils of ancient Pokémon restored, so we're trying to destroy all the fossils-"

"Idiot!" roared the first man, slapping the second grunt in the face. "What did you tell them that for? Don't you remember what the boss said? Never, never reveal our plans to outsiders!"

"Hey, what gives?!" said the second man defensively. "I didn't reveal our plan to... to... oh, I guess I kinda did, didn't I?"

The first man facepalmed. "I knew the boss was having trouble with finding good recruits, but this is ridiculous," he muttered.

"Uh, Jeff?" the second man said. "Don't we still gotta deal with these kids?"

"What do you mean, deal with us?" Orange exclaimed defiantly.

"I dunno. I mean, they can't be all bad, Larry," Jeff said fairly. "That LM4 there really seems to like the redhead."

"Hmm?" Orange said in surprise. He turned around, and sure enough, the LM4 from before was flopping around his feet, happily exclaiming "L! M! LM4!"

"Yeah, that's true," the second man, apparently called Larry, said. "It's rare to see a trainer that's so liked by Modern Pokémon."

"Modern Pokémon?" repeated Red questioningly.

"Yeah, Modern Pokémon," said Jeff. "The ones that are really geometric in shape. LM4, .4, 44Hy, and the like. Team Debug, see, hates those kinds of Pokémon, calls them Glitch Pokémon." Jeff made a distasteful face as he spoke those last two words. "They seem to think Modern Pokémon aren't natural, and prefer to stick with Old Pokémon, stuff like Raichu and Goldeen and Weezing. Still, for kids who like Modern Pokémon, why are you opposing us?"

"Well, for one thing, fossils belong in museums," stated Violet. "You're blowing up pieces of history."

"It's a little iffy, yeah," conceded Jeff, "but we got our orders. The boss wants us to stop Team Debug's plans before they start. Say, could we see the rest of the Modern Pokémon you all have?"

"OK..." said Orange as he took all the Poké Balls off his belt and threw them. "Come on out, everybody!"

The balls burst open and unleashed blasts of energy which formed themselves into Q, .4, and Spearow. Larry nodded approvingly at .4, but Jeff narrowed his eyes at the sight of Spearow.

"You dare possess an Old Pokémon?" he exclaimed. "What are you, a Debug loyalist or something?! You try to gain our trust with your Modern Pokémon, and then you pull this garbage?!"

"What's the difference, anyway?!" Orange exploded. "Pokémon are Pokémon! I'll admit Spearow and I don't get along that well, but I still love him the same as the rest of my team!"

Spearow, meanwhile, had paused in his ascent, which would probably have led to dive-bombing. Unknown to anyone else, he was listening to what Orange was saying.

"Well, then, we'll just have to teach you proper respect, won't we?" sneered Jeff as he threw a Poké Ball. "Go! pPkMnp!"

Jeff's Poké Ball unleashed into the open a black-and-white being with sparse blue and red markings. It was rectangular in shape, though it was more vertical than A had been. Its entire left side was cloaked in a sinister purple aura. It let loose a deep roar. Orange took out his Pokédex and pointed it at the creature.

"pPkMnp, the Fortress Pokémon," said the Pokédex. "pPkMnp moves slowly and cannot attack with much effectiveness. Its true strengths lie in its rock-solid defense. pPkMnp is of the Poison-type."

"This will be tricky, Orange," warned Violet. "Physical blows will do almost nothing to a pPkMnp!"

Before Orange could reply to this, LM4 had flopped its way in front of Orange. "Four!" it exclaimed defiantly.

"Wow," Red said. "Orange, I think LM4 wants to fight p... pkm... that thing!"

"I'd say so," Orange murmured. "Is this true, LM4?"

"L! LM!" LM4 exclaimed in an encouraging tone.

Orange then broke out into a wide grin as he consulted his Pokédex for a list of LM4's attacks. "Ooh," he muttered. "Lot of good ones here. All right, LM4! Water Gun!"

"Foooouuur!" bellowed LM4 as it let loose a stream of water from the front of its body.

"pPkMnp, use Sludge!" Jeff growled.

pPkMnp roared as a stream of thick, smelly, black liquid blasted forth from its body, meeting the Water Gun halfway. Neither move allowed the other to make any further progress, and the two combatants quickly ceased to use them.

"LM4, Quick Attack now!" Orange commanded.

With blinding speed, LM4 leapt off the ground and lunged at pPkMnp, only to bounce off the Poison-type's body with a resounding CLAAAAANG.

"Orange, I told you, physical moves won't do much to it!" Violet hissed.

"We got 'im now!" Jeff exclaimed. "Use Thunder!"

"Aurora Beam now!" Orange called desperately.

As pPkMnp's body crackled with electricity, LM4 unleashed a rainbow-colored ray from one of its corners, causing the Fortress Pokémon to roar in pain. It fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud, and moved no more.

"Nice one, LM4!" Orange exclaimed as Jeff withdrew his pPkMnp. Larry, however, took Jeff's place, throwing a Poké Ball of his own.

"Now it's my turn!" he declared. Go, 7g!"

In a flash of light, a small, pink cube with strange, dot-like black and white markings materialized. It floated in midair, appearing to be not much larger than a .4.

"G..." it muttered in a voice which suggested an overall lack of intelligence. Curious, Red held his Pokédex out at this newcomer.

"7g, the Slow Pokémon," it droned. "Though low in intelligence, it will always obey an order given to it. Even if ordered to use a move it does not know, it will attempt to use it anyway."

"LM4, you can't do this," insisted Orange. "You're a Water and Fighting-type, and 7g is a Water and Psychic-type. You're at a disadvantage."

"M!" replied LM4 defiantly as it made a motion similar to shaking one's head.

"Are you sure?" Orange asked.

"Four," was the response. This time, LM4 seemed to be nodding.

"Your funeral," said Larry. "7g, Confusion!"

"Seeeevvveeeeen..." yawned 7g as it unleashed a ray of blue Psychic energy.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Orange exclaimed. Swiftly, LM4 bounded out of the way of the attack, then lunged at 7g and tackled it to the ground.

"Use Double-Edge, 7g!" roared Larry.

"LM4, PoisonPowder!" Orange commanded.

7g rose back into the air and prepared to slam into LM4, only to be met with a cloud of shimmering purple dust, sprayed from the four topmost corners of the cube that was LM4. 7g instead fell to the ground and began coughing.

"Let's wrap this up!" Orange shouted triumphantly. "Rolling Kick!"

"Foooooooooooooooooour!" LM4 called out as it bounded into the air. Out of its side sprouted a mass of glowing brown energy which formed itself into a foot-like shape. LM4 then began spinning around as it descended, and slammed its foot into 7g, plowing it into the ground.

Scowling, Larry withdrew his unconscious 7g. "This is not over," he said menacingly.

"Oh, I think it is," sneered Violet as she took out a Poké Ball of her own. "Flutters, use your Sleep Powd-"

"Error Smoke Screen!" one of the grunts randomly shouted as he threw a small, grey sphere to the ground. Almost before the Butterfree was clear of its Poké Ball, the smoke cleared, revealing the Error Grunts to have fled. Then, a familiar pinging sound could be heard from behind Orange and Violet- the sound of a Poké Ball successfully catching a Pokémon. Simultaneously, they turned around to spot Red gleefully scooping up a Poké Ball.

"Red, what's that?" asked Violet.

"Didn't you see me and LM4 battle?" asked Orange dejectedly.

"Of course I did," said Red. "But I saw that one of those rocks that was loosened by the explosion was about to flatten a wild Paras, so I did the first thing I could think of- I threw a Poké Ball at it. The ball knocked Paras out of the rock's path, and then caught it. OK, Paras, come on out," he added as he held out the ball. In a flash of light, a small, orange creature appeared. It had four small legs, and two larger front ones, which more closely resembled claws than anything else. A pair of large, beady eyes poked out of its front, directly above its small mouth. On its back sat a pair of small mushrooms.

"Paaaras?" squeaked the Pokémon, seeming to only just become aware that it was not about to be crushed by a falling boulder. Orange stifled a squeak as he hid behind Violet and held out his Pokédex.

"Paras, the Mushroom Pokémon," droned the device. "Paras burrows underground to suck on tree roots. Its mushrooms grow by absorbing nutrients from the bug host. Paras is a Bug and Grass-type."

"It's kinda cute," smiled Violet.

"It's kind of a Bug-type," shuddered Orange.

"Well, I like it," declared Red. "I was only trying to rescue it, but now that I see it up close, I kinda like this little guy." At these words, Paras happily climbed up onto Red's shoulder.

Orange opened his mouth, possibly to object to Paras's inclusion in the group, when a small cry of "Fooooour?" distracted him. He looked down to see LM4 gently nudging him.

"Wha- Ohhhh," smiled Orange as he knelt down to LM4. "You wanna come with me, don't you?"

"L! LM4!" exclaimed LM4 happily.

Now grinning widely, Orange took a Poké Ball out of his backpack and wordlessly tapped LM4 with it. The Bubble Cube Pokémon was transformed into transparent red energy and vacuumed into the sphere. The Poké Ball barely wobbled before making its telltale ping sound.

"All right!" Orange exclaimed. "I caught an LM4!"

"Cool, I guess," said Red as Orange withdrew Q, .4, and Spearow. "Truth be told, I'm still really weirded out by all these different Pokémon."

"You'll get used to them, Red," Violet said kindly. "I know, Tanko is still kind of a strange place to you-"

"Oh, come on," scoffed Orange. "What part of this place could possibly be considered strange?

"Orange?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."


	9. Adventures In Psyduck-Sitting

The rest of the journey through Moon Canyon was relatively uneventful. The trio climbed their way out of the canyon, ending up on the opposite end from where they started, with not a single issue.

"Well, thank goodness we got out of there," remarked Orange as he looked back at the vast chasm. "Should be smooth sailing the rest of the way to Ruceelna City."

"Good," said Red. "Though with the Gym coming up, don't you guys think we ought to get in some training?"

"Good thinking, Red," nodded Violet. "OK, so who's gonna battle who first? Wait, hold that thought, what's that?"

Confused, Red turned to look, for something behind him had caught Violet's attention. It quickly became evident what it was; making its way unsteadily across the rough and uneven terrain was a plump, yellow creature with a large, flat bill on its face. It waddled on a pair of webbed feet that seemed to be directly attached to the bottom of its body, without any legs, and it was clutching its head with a pair of limbs that appeared to be halfway between arms and wings.

"Oh, a Psyduck!" said Red, having spotted the Pokémon. "I've seen those before." Violet took out her Pokédex and pointed it at the Psyduck.

"Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon," the device droned. "Constantly plagued by a headache. It has been known to exhibit mysterious powers on occasion."

"Wait, so that thing _always_ has a headache?" asked Orange. "That is weird."

"Well, I like it," grinned Violet as she readied a Poké Ball. "I think I know what I'm catching today!" She then threw the sphere. "Chompy, I choose you!" she called out.

The ball split open, and in a flash of light, Violet's Bellsprout appeared. "Bellsprout," it said as it faced Psyduck, who had only just noticed the group.

"Psy?" asked Psyduck as it tilted its head, its face registering a look of total cluelessness.

"Chompy, Vine Whip now!" Violet ordered.

"Sprooouut!" exclaimed Chompy as it extended a pair of slender green vines, intent on whipping the Psyduck with them. Psyduck, however, moved quickly; it stopped clutching its head and instead used its wing-like arms to grab the ends of the vines and yank on them, pulling Chompy in close. Psyduck then wrapped its arms around the Bellsprout and began to wrestle with it in a reckless manner.

"Is that a Submission attack?" asked Orange, somewhat impressed. "I didn't think a Psyduck could pull off such a move!"

"Chompy, use Growth!" said Violet.

"Bell... sproooooouuuut!" replied Chompy as its body began to increase in size, forcing Psyduck to let go. Then, without waiting for orders, the Bellsprout coiled its root-like body around Psyduck and began to squeeze hard. Frantically, Psyduck launched a stream of water from its bill, but the Water Gun failed to hit its target.

"Whoa, check it out!" Orange breathed. "What's going on with Chompy?" Violet's Pokédex spoke up, answering the question,

"Wrap," it said. "An attack involving the binding and squeezing of the opponent with one's long body, vines, or tentacles. Inflicts damage and temporarily immobilizes one's foe."

"Nice!" Violet exclaimed. "Chompy, you learned how to use Wrap! OK, keep it up!"

Red, however, was remembering how the Pokédex had mentioned Psyduck's mysterious powers. At the same time, he couldn't help but notice that an ominous blue glow had appeared in Psyduck's eyes- the sort of glow he'd come to associate with the usage of the Confusion attack.

"Violet, look out," he warned, "I think it's about to use-"

"DUUUUUUUUUCK!" screamed Psyduck suddenly, blasting Chompy with a ray of blue light, forcing the Bellsprout to relinquish its grip and throwing it through the air, where it landed at Violet's feet, struggling to get back up.

"...Confusion," Red finished lamely.

"Chompy, are you OK?" asked Violet.

"Sproooout..." moaned Chompy as the Bellsprout unsteadily climbed to its root feet.

"So what's the deal with this thing, anyway?" asked Orange. "What, is it Water and Psychic?"

"No, just Water," said Red. "Professor Oak told me that a Psyduck's psychic powers are more potent when its headache was worse. I'm guessing that Wrap attack didn't do much for its headache."

"Didn't even think of that," muttered Violet. "Chompy, let's try Sleep Powder!"

"Sproooooout," replied Chompy as it exhaled a cloud of glittering blue dust from its mouth. Psyduck's eyelids began to droop as the powder settled all around it. Finally, the Duck Pokémon slumped to the ground, snoring softly.

Wasting no time, Violet pulled a Poké Ball out of her fanny pack, enlarged it, and threw it. "Go, Poké Ball!" she shouted as she did this. The ball whizzed through the air, and once it struck the sleeping Psyduck, split open. At the same time, Psyduck was turned into a shapeless mass of translucent red energy, which was then sucked into the open ball. The Poké Ball snapped shut and hit the ground, whereupon it began to rock back and forth. Violet held her breath, her eyes focused upon the wiggling sphere, as if convinced here persistent glare would help keep it shut.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the ball emitted a single pinging sound and fell still. Violet exhaled and scooped up the Poké Ball. "I caught Psyduck! Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Nice," said Orange, grinning.

"Congratulations, Violet," added Red. "What are you gonna name it?"

"Migraine," she responded. "I know that once it evolves into Golduck, it won't have a headache anymore, but by that time, its psychic powers will be intense enough that it could give its opponents headaches if it wanted to."

"Clever," replied Red, clearly impressed.

"Or, you're just too lazy to think of a name that would suit it as a Golduck," chimed in Orange.

"Orange?" sighed Violet exasperatedly.

"Wh-_Ohhhhhhh_, no, no, no, you do not!" Orange exclaimed suddenly. "Don't think I haven't noticed this, Vi. You want me to go 'What?' so you can tell me to shut up, like you always do. Well, not this time! You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna just stay quiet and not answer you!" As if to prove his point, Orange slammed his mouth closed, and gave Violet a very smug grin. Violet raised her eyebrows at this, but did not question his logic.

"Come on," she said to Orange and Red as she withdrew Chompy. "We keep walking now, we should get to Ruceelna before nightfall." With that, she led the way, Orange still smirking smugly, mouth tightly shut. Within minutes, however, Orange's smug demeanor slowly gave way to a look of dawning comprehension.

"Hey, wait a minute!" shouted Orange suddenly. "That's not fair!"

"Took you long enough to figure that out, Orange," laughed Violet. "Mind you, I'm not complaining. The silence was a nice change of pace."

"Change of pace!?" repeated Orange indignantly. "Are you implying that I talk too much? Huh? Are you saying I talk too much? Red, do I talk too much?"

Red jumped slightly, clearly not having expected to have to participate in this conversation. "Well... I... Uh..." he stammered. Fortunately for him, Orange was far too impatient to wait for a coherent answer.

"There, you see?" he said to Violet. "Red doesn't think I'm too talkative. If he was, he'd have said something." Violet facepalmed.

"So, yeah, about training for the next Gym?" Red prompted Violet.

"Red, I thought you'd want to rush through this region as fast as possible, though," Orange said in surprise. "Don't you wanna get to Bincanar Island as quick as possible, get some answers, and get home?"

"I do," Red assured him. "But truth be told, I find Tanko to be fascinating. I do want to go home, but I figure as long as I'm here, why not make the most of it?"

"That's a good attitude to have, Red," Violet said, smiling approvingly.

"You're still not used to some of the Pokémon here, though, are ya?" asked Orange. "When are you gonna start warming up to .4 and Q and-"

"When you start warming up to Paras and Caterpie," retorted Red. This shut Orange up. Violet was quick to notice this, and smiled at Red. Orange saw this, and it seemed to further annoy him.

Not much later, Violet voiced the notion that they should all take a break for a little while. Red, whose legs were starting to ache from the constant walking, combined with the previous bout of rock climbing, was more than happy to agree with this. Orange, on the other hand, was not so obliging.

"Come on, guys!" he whined. "I thought we were gonna try to get to Ruceelna City before nightfall!"

"Orange, relax, we're making good time," said Violet. "We can afford a short break. Why don't we let our Pokémon out, let them relax too?"

"Sounds like a plan," replied Red as he threw three Poké Balls into the air. "Charmeleon, Rattata, Paras, come on out!"

"Chompy, Flutters, Migraine, let's go!" added Violet as she launched her three Poké Balls.

"Q, .4, Spearow, LM4, we might as well," sighed Orange, who seemed to finally accept that Violet and Red weren't about to listen to his constant whining any time soon.

With a great display of dazzling white light, the ten Pokémon materialized. Charmeleon stood a fair distance from the rest of them, arms folded, and Spearow began to fly in large circles over everyone's heads, but the rest of the Pokémon began to interact with one another eagerly. Migraine, however, didn't seem too interested in talking; LM4 approached the Duck Pokémon and began to talk to it, but its responses of "Psy? Duck?" were apparently not what the Water/Fighting-type was hoping to hear, as it flopped away shortly afterwards.

"I'm so bored," whined Orange. "Why can't we keep going?"

"You don't want to rest a little bit, Orange?" asked Red, who was currently seated upon what appeared to be an aluminum tree stump. "That climb wasn't exactly easy."

"Red's right, Orange," added Violet. "We can't just wear ourselves out with constant physical activity, it's not healthy. We got to take it easy every once in a- Q, what is it?"

For at that moment, the Deep Sea Pokémon had floated over to the trio (Red, who hadn't seen it coming, tumbled backwards in shock, falling off his stump). "Kyuuu, kyuuu," it said, its voice full of urgency.

"It's trying to tell us something," observed Orange as Q motioned in the direction of the other Pokémon. The group looked at the Pokémon, trying to figure out what was wrong, when Violet suddenly gasped.

"Migraine's gone!" she exclaimed. "We have to find him!" Immediately, Red and Orange ran over to their Pokémon.

"Charmeleon, Paras, Rattata, any of you see where Migraine went?" asked Red.

"Char?" replied Charmeleon in a confused voice.

"Parrrras?" added Paras, seeming to be equally confused.

"Rattata?" chimed in Rattata.

"The Psyduck! Violet's Psyduck," said Red. "Which way did the Psyduck go?"

Charmeleon merely shrugged, while Rattata shook its head. Paras, however, gave a call of "Par! Paras!" and began scuttling off.

".4, go and search for the Psyduck from the air!" Orange was saying as Red called out.

"Guys, come on! Paras saw which way Migraine went!"

Immediately, Violet and Orange withdrew the rest of their Pokémon, only for Orange to realize Spearow had evaded the ball's beam; it was instead flying alongside .4.

"Red, check it out!" exclaimed Orange. "Spearow's looking for Migraine along with .4!"

"That's cool and all, but come on!" Violet said urgently. Paras saw which way my Psyduck went, we're following it!"

Though clearly reluctant to follow a Bug-type, Orange nevertheless took off after Red and Violet, both of whom were keeping close behind Paras, who was scuttling along the rocky, grassy, muddy, metallic, wet landscape as fast as its legs would carry it. After several minutes of this, however, Paras had lost the trail.

"Never mind, Paras," said Red consolingly as he held out its Poké Ball. "You did great. Take a rest."

Once Paras was back in its ball, an agitated chattering noise could be heard as .4 zipped up to Orange.

".4, you found Migraine?" said Orange. In response, .4 gibbered unintelligibly, zipped three times around Orange's head, and took off in a different direction. The trio gave chase, though not without difficulty; in order to follow .4, they had to navigate their way around a lot of strange rock formation/tree combinations and several odd tree-like structures that seemed to be made entirely of drywall and machine parts. After a few minutes, they came to a small clearing, with two identically dressed men in dreadfully similar white uniforms, each one with a green D emblazoned on the shirt.

"Team Debug!" exclaimed Orange, Red, and Violet simultaneously. At this, the two men wheeled around. Red could now see two steel cages on the ground behind the men- one contained Migraine, the other had Orange's Spearow.

"You twerps again!" exclaimed one of the men, who Red recognized from Ivadirin Forest.

"You're that bunch from Ivadirin Forest!" said Violet. "Give back my Psyduck!"

"And my Spearow!" Orange added.

"I'm afraid we can't do that, kiddies," said the other grunt, who Red recognized as Lou. "You see, if we're gonna thwart Team Error, we need all the extra Pokémon we can get our hands on- OW!" he exclaimed, for his associate, Will, had slapped him.

"You idiot!" roared Will. "When are you gonna stop revealing our plans to non-Debug personnel?!"

"Oh, relax, we can take 'em," said Lou as he readied a Poké Ball. "Mankey, let's go!"

"Tangela, you too!" Lou added, throwing a Poké Ball of his own.

In twin flashes of light, Mankey and Tangela materialized. Both Pokémon narrowed their eyes, recognizing their opponents.

"Let's do this," announced Red as he threw a Poké Ball. "Paras, I choose you!"

"Chompy, let's go!" added Violet, throwing her own Poké Ball.

Both Paras and the Bellsprout Chompy appeared before their respective trainers, facing their foes defiantly.

"Tangela, Constrict!" called Lou.

"Mankey, Mega Punch!" Will ordered.

"Chompy, use Wrap on Mankey!" said Violet.

"Paras, use Leech Life on Tangela!" commanded Red.

Tangela made the first move, extending a pair of teal vines from the tangled mass that was its body. Paras scuttled out of the way, then lunged at Tangela and bit one of its vines. Tangela gave a squeal of pain and tried to shake the Bug and Grass-type off, but Paras held on tight. Mankey, meanwhile, attempted to slam its fist into the Bellsprout, but Chompy merely wrapped its body around its foe once it got close enough.

"Enough of this!" Will said angrily. "Mankey, use Swift!"

Mankey screeched angrily as it unleashed a cluster of glowing star-shaped fragments of energy from its nose. The stars maneuvered through the air, returning to strike Chompy with excellent precision, causing the Bellsprout to loosen its grip momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, Manky wrenched its right arm free and executed Mega Punch, slamming Chompy to the ground. At the same time, Tangela used the vine Paras was sucking energy from to unleash its Slam attack. Paras was forced to let go as it was slammed against the ground, and it landed next to Chompy, who was struggling to get back up.

"Come on, guys," said Red quietly, desperately. Then, a stream of water struck Mankey squarely in the back, while a brown-and-red blur crashed into Tangela.

"Wh- Orange?!" exclaimed Violet. At this, Will and Lou wheeled around. There, standing triumphantly beside a pair of opened and vacant steel cages, was Orange. Q was floating by his side, and as they watched, Spearow landed on his shoulder. Migraine, meanwhile, waddled back to Violet as fast as it could.

"Little tip for you," said Orange, a smug look on his face. "You might want to consider cages with a more reliable lock. Q barely had to do anything to get it open."

"Kyuuu..." Q murmured modestly.

"Spear! Spearow!" cawed Spearow angrily, glaring at the Team Debug grunts.

"That abomination again! It's hideous!" exclaimed Lou as he pointed at Q. "Come on, Will, let's take it out! Tangela, Skull Bash now!"

"Mankey, use Thrash!" added Will.

Orange turned to face the Spearow on his shoulder and gave it a small smile, which Red could have sworn the Spearow had returned. "Use Razor Wind," Orange said simply. Immediately, Spearow took off and flapped its wings rapidly, unleashing a blast of air at Tangela and Mankey, both of whom screeched in pain.

"It obeyed him!" said Red. "Spearow's listening to Orange now!"

"Probably because Orange went to the trouble to save it," remarked Violet. "Though come to think of it, that little speech of his back in Moon Canyon, I'm willing to bet Spearow was moved by it."

"Spearow, let's finish it! Take Down now!" called Orange.

"Speeeeeeeeeeaaarrrowww!" screeched Spearow as it dove down at Mankey and Tangela, plowing them into their respective trainers. Knowing that this was probably the best time to cut their losses and leave while they still could, Will and Lou withdrew their Pokémon and fled into the woods.

"This isn't over, twerps!" roared Lou. "This isn't over!"

"Nice going, Orange," said Red as everyone withdrew their Pokémon. "You finally got Spearow to listen to you, and you saved Migraine."

"Yeah... thanks," added Violet, albeit somewhat reluctantly, a fact that Orange was quick to pick up on.

"You really hate the fact that I did something right, don't you?" laughed Orange. "You're happiest when you get to argue with me and tell me to shut up and stuff, aren't you?"

"No," scoffed Violet. "It's just that you doing things right and saving the day, it's a new concept to me. I'm gonna have to get used to it."

"Whatever, let's get moving," said Orange.

"Yeah, we might as well," conceded Red. "Especially if there's more Team Debug goons in the area."

"Good point," Violet admitted. The trio began walking again, managing to make their way out of the grove of rock/drywall/machine part trees with little issue. As it turned out, however, their little detour had taken them quite a distance, and it was therefore not very long before the skyline of a city came into view, all the buildings appearing to be made of pieces of fence, odd numbers, gravel, and various pieces of landscaping. Some buildings seemed to have pools of water built into walls, with the surfaces seeming to be completely vertical, which, as far as Red knew, defied the laws of physics.

"We're here," said Orange. "Ruceelna City!


	10. Walter, Water, Everywhere

The sun was starting to set as the group made their way down the streets of Ruceelna City. At one point, Red noticed a large stone archway in the middle of a street that seemed to be paved with threes, fours, and bricks. To his confusion, Orange and Violet walked around the arch, though it was definitely tall enough for them to walk through.

"Hey, guys, why'd you walk around this arch? It's- agh!" Red exclaimed, for as he was speaking, he walked under the archway, and immediately found that both of his feet were suddenly stuck firmly to the road. Red managed to not fall over, having nearly lost his balance, but simply could not budge his feet an inch.

"Hmm? Red!" exclaimed Violet as she and Orange wheeled around at the sound of his voice. Together, they walked over to Red, each one taking one of his arms, and they yanked hard. With a loud popping sound, Red's feet were pulled free, and the trio fell to the ground.

"Ow," groaned Red as they climbed back to their feet. "What the hell was that?"

"A freeze arch," replied Violet. "They're these stone archways that immobilize anyone who steps through them. You don't have those in Kanto?"

"Nothing even remotely close to them," said Red, looking back at the innocent-looking structure warily, as though fearful that it would suddenly come to life and attack them. "Are there many of these in Tanko?"

"A fair few," said Orange. "Each major city has at least one or two, though they can sometimes be found on routes. They're easy enough to spot, though. I got stuck in one when I was five, back when I lived in Miliovern City. My dad was close by, luckily, so he pulled me out no problem."

"Miliovern City?" repeated Red, frowning. "Wait... How do you spell that? M-I-L-I-O-V-E-R-N?"

"Yeah, why- ohhhh, I see," said Orange. "You rearrange those letters, you get the name of a city in Kanto, right?"

"Vermilion City," nodded Red. "I'm guessing Miliovern is south of here?"

"Right," nodded Violet. "Just past Fansfor City. Which is spelled F-A-N-S-F-O-R, by the way."

"Thought so," nodded Red. "That would correlate to Saffron City in Kanto."

"This is kinda cool," chuckled Orange. "I mean, for years, I've only known of Kanto as an urban legend, a myth about some parallel universe. And now I know, not only is it real, but its city names are the same as ours, just with the letters all scrambled. Well, c'mon, guys, we better get to the Pokémon Center before it gets dark." With that, he took off, running down the street.

"So, Violet," said Red, "Why don't people just take down those freeze arches?"

"They're indestructible," Violet answered. "Nothing in existence can so much as scratch those things. Someone once tried to destroy a freeze arch by telling their 'M to hit it with Take Down, but nothing happened. And 'M have really high attack power, there's not much that can withstand a physical attack from one of those.

Curious, Red took out his Pokédex at the mention of 'M. On the screen appeared an image of a large, rectangular Pokémon, white with black, orange, and purple markings all over. Jutting out from one side was a smaller rectangle with vague facial features.

"'M, the Shoreline Pokémon," droned the Pokédex. "'M thrive in coastal areas, though are not particularly adept swimmers. It flies through the air with style and grace, and hits with the force of a freight train."

"Guys! Come _on_!" exclaimed Orange, having finally realized his two companions were moving a lot slower than he was. For some reason, judging by the look on his face, this seemed to annoy him more than usual.

Violet sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, Red."

Ten minutes later, the trio walked through the double doors made entirely of pencil shavings and entered the Pokémon Center. The nurse greeted them warmly and was more than happy to tend to their Pokémon.

"So," said Red as they waited for their Pokémon to heal up, "What type does the Ruceelna Gym Leader use anyway?"

"Water-types, I think," replied Violet. "Chompy should do fine in this one."

"That's what you said about Rewept Gym, though," observed Orange. "And as I recall, Chompy got one-hit KO'd by Bide."

"Orange?" said Violet.

"Yes?"

"Shut up.

"Water-types, huh?" said Red. "Looks like I'll be trying out Paras here."

"Does it know any Grass moves?" asked Orange.

"Lemme check," replied Red as he took his Pokédex in one hand and Paras's Poké Ball in the other. "OK, Paras's moves... Leech Life... Stun Spore... Scratch."

"Well, at least it's still resistant to Water moves," Violet said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Orange said. "OK, I got nothing that's especially good against Water-types, but Q and LM4 can at least let me go with the same kind of stuff the leader will be using."

"Huh... that's actually a good point," said Violet, sounding very surprised to be saying such a thing to Orange. "Well, maybe I can use Migraine as well, then."

"All healed!" the nurse said suddenly, as she approached the trio with three trays full of Poké Balls.

"Ah, thanks," said Red as he took his Poké Balls and attached them to his belt. Orange and Violet did likewise, and then the group walked off towards the cafeteria for dinner. Red enjoyed a fiveburger with eight sauce; Orange happily wolfed down a nine casserole; and Violet had an even number salad. After this, the nurse showed them to their room, where a tired Red flopped down onto his bed and fell asleep at once. Not even the inhuman cacophony that was Orange's snoring could awaken him.

At least, not until five o'clock the next morning.

Red woke up to the earsplitting noises Orange was emitting and groaned upon noticing the clock.

"I need earplugs," he groaned as he tossed and turned in his bed, trying to block out the noise with no success. After several minutes of this, however, Red gave up the attempt and climbed out of bed. At that moment, however, Violet yawned as she awoke. Casually, she pulled out her earplugs, walked over to Orange, and slapped him with her pillow, waking him up.

"Zzzz-hmm?! What?! Huh?!" exclaimed Orange as he woke up abruptly.

"I really need a pair of earplugs," said Red, shaking his head.

"Here, take these," replied Violet as she pulled another pair out of her pants pocket and tossed them to Red, who barely caught them. "I keep extra pairs on me just in case."

"Geez, Vi," grumbled Orange. "You act like I snore really loudly or something like that.

"Maybe because, oh, I don't know, you _do?_" Violet replied sarcastically. "Did you think I wear these earplugs to keep my ears warm?"

"Yeah, whatever, let's eat and get to the Gym," said Orange.

"Orange, it's five in the morning," said Red. "You really think the Gym's gonna be open that early?"

"It's worth a shot, at least," shrugged Orange. "Come on, Red, Vi."

As the trio entered the main lobby of the Pokémon Center, they noticed that it didn't seem closed at all. All the lights were still on, and the cafeteria was still open.

"Knew this'd still be open," said Orange as they took seats around a small table in the cafeteria. "Pokémon Centers run 24/7, because you never know when a trainer's gonna come in from a late-night training session, or some sort of sudden emergency or something."

At that moment, a Chansey had noticed the trio and came waddling right over, ready to take their orders.

"Fried nines, please," said Orange.

"Make that two," Red added. "Those are good." At this, Orange grinned and high-fived Red.

"A small bowl of fresh sixes for me, please," said Violet. Chansey nodded as it scribbled down their orders, then walked away.

"You know, one of these days, Orange," Violet said, "You're gonna get tired of having fried nines every morning."

"Yeah, sure," scoffed Orange. "I'll start ordering something different when that happens, no problem. _If_ that happens, anyway."

"They _are_ pretty good, Violet," said Red.

"She wouldn't know, though," Orange said. "She's an evenetarian."

"Come again?"

"An evenetarian," repeated Orange. "She only eats even numbers."

"Orange, if I've told you once I've told you a hundred times," sighed Violet. "I am not an evenetarian. Evenetarians eat only even numbers because they choose to. I only eat even numbers because I don't like how odd numbers taste."

"You're still an evenetarian," said Orange stubbornly.

"I am not."

"You are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"No, you are not!" declared Orange. "You are most certainly not an evenetarian and that is final!"

"Whatever you say," shrugged Violet.

"You're darn right, whatever I say," grinned Orange. Then, as he sat there, his grin slowly gave way to an annoyed expression. "Hey, wait a minute!" he exclaimed suddenly, at which point both Red and Violet started laughing.

"Sorry, Orange," chuckled Red. "But that was hilarious."

At that moment, however, Chansey returned to the table with their meals. Red and Orange happily started in on their fried nines, while Violet picked up a spoon and started to slowly scoop the small sixes out of the bowl and into her mouth.

Once they were done eating and Chansey had scanned their Pokédexes to confirm that they were trainers, Red, Orange, and Violet exited the Pokémon Center and began to walk down the street.

"OK, if I remember the nurse's directions correctly, the Gym should be right around here," stated Orange as he looked around. "Not much farther-aha!" he added in triumph as he pointed down the road, having only just spotted the large structure at the end of it.

The building was massive, constructed from what appeared to be large concrete bricks, pieces of wooden fence, various shrubberies, and a bunch of ones and threes. In the very front, where a set of doors ought to have been, there was instead a large wall of water. As Orange and Violet continued to walk towards it, Red stopped, confused.

"Where's the door?" he asked.

"Right here," replied Orange as he walked right through the wall of water as if it was absolutely nothing. Violet followed with similar results. After taking a moment to stare at the strange entrance, Red tentatively walked through the wall of water. Oddly, it didn't feel a thing like water; indeed, it felt as though a cool breeze was blowing on Red's body from above, like from an air conditioner.

The inside of Ruceelna Gym was brightly lit. The floor, ceiling, and walls were all white, with numerous windows near the ceiling letting in large amounts of sunlight. Most notably, in the middle of the room, there was a large swimming pool built into the floor, with two large, white floating platforms bobbing in place. Then, Red could see someone at the other end of the pool. A teenage boy, looking somewhat older than Orange. His head was covered in unkempt blond hair, and he was wearing only a pair of blue swimming trunks. His exposed torso showed obvious muscle.

"Hey, what's up, dudes?" called the youth. "Welcome to Ruceelna Gym! I'm, like, Walter, the Gym Leader."

"Hi, Walter," breathed Violet, sounding as though she was extraordinarily pleased to make his acquaintance. "I'm Violet Scramble from Talpel Town, and I came to challenge you to a battle!"

"Ahem," butted in Orange, sounding very annoyed. "I'm Orange McPixel, also from Talpel Town, and would like to remind Violet that she is not your only challenger today!"

"Red Vershunn, also from Talpel Town," added Red. "Also here for a battle."

"Right, dudes," nodded Walter as he took his place at the far end of the pool. "I can only battle, like, one of you at a time, so, how about I battle the pretty girl first?" At this, Violet blushed and giggled.

"Heh heh... Fine by me!" she said.

"Two Pokémon each sound cool to you?" called Walter.

"You're the boss," replied Violet.

"Right on," he grinned as he reached for a nearby duffel bag and pulled out a Poké Ball. As he threw it, he shouted, "Let's go, Tentacool!"

In a flash of light, a small, blue Pokémon materialized in the water. Its blue body was vaguely bell-shaped, and possessed two very large red dots, with one smaller red dot between the two. A pair of gray tentacles could be seen coming out of the bottom. Violet took out her Pokédex and aimed it at her opponent.

"Tentacool, the Jellyfish Pokémon. Tentacool drifts in shallow seas. Fishermen who hook it by accident are punished by its stinging acid."

"OK, let's get started!" said Violet as she threw a Poké Ball. "Chompy, I choose you!"

The ball burst open to unleash Violet's Bellsprout, who expertly landed on the floating platform closer to Violet's end of the pool. "Bellsprout, sprout," said Chompy.

"Tentacool, Skull Bash!" called Walter.

"Chompy, Wrap it!" ordered Violet.

With surprising speed, Tentacool sprung out of the water, lunging at Chompy. The Bellsprout, however, merely stretched out its root-lke body and bound it tightly around the oncoming Tentacool.

"We got it now," said Violet. "Tighter, Chompy!"

"Tentacool, like, use Acid!" Walter commanded.

"Cool," replied Tentacool in a slightly nasally voice as it aimed one of its tentacles at Chompy and unleashed a blast of purple liquid from the tip. Chompy screamed as the Acid made contact, and involuntarily released Tentacool.

"Alright, little dude, way to go!" Walter congratulated his Pokémon. "Now, let's show them what, like, a _real_ Wrap attack looks like!"

"Tentacool, Tentacool," chanted Tentacool as it wound its tentacles tightly around Chompy, immobilizing the Bellsprout.

"Use Growth now!" Violet ordered.

"Sprooooooooooooout!" bellowed Chompy as its body took on a greenish aura and began to double in size. A surprised Tentacool was practically forced to let go.

"Whoa, dude," murmured Walter.

"Vine Whip attack!" continued Violet.

"Bellsprout, sprout!" replied Chompy as it extended a pair of thick vines from behind its leaves and smacked Tentacool clear across the pool with them. The Jellyfish Pokémon skidded to a stop on the opposite platform, unconscious.

"Impressive," grinned Walter as he withdrew Tentacool. "Usually, like, Tentacool's good for taking out at least one Pokémon, you know? I've won entire battles just using it."

"It's very well-trained, though," Violet said quickly.

"Well, you thought that was something, you ain't seen my best yet!" said Walter as he produced a second Poké Ball and launched it. "LM4, go!"

In a flash of light, the Poké Ball unleashed an LM4 into the pool. It looked rather identical to Orange's, if not somewhat larger.

"Four four LM4!" it exclaimed as it began to swiftly swim laps around the pool.

"OK, Chompy, try to hit it with Vine Whip!" ordered Violet.

"LM4, like, dodge it!" Walter called out.

Chompy's vines plunged into the water and flailed about, but LM4 deftly evaded each and every attack.

"OK, now, like, hit it with Quick Attack!" said Walter.

"Fooooooouuurr!" bellowed LM4 as it leapt out of the water and rammed into Chompy's back, sending it into the pool.

"Chompy, get out of there!" exclaimed Violet.

"Aurora Beam!" exclaimed Walter.

As Chompy flailed about in the water in a pathetic attempt to swim to the nearest platform, LM4 unleashed the Ice-type move at point-blank range. The rainbow-colored ray sent Chompy flying out of the pool and crashing down on the platform as it slowly shrunk back down to its original size.

"OK, LM4's a Fighting-type," muttered Violet as she withdrew Chompy. "I think I got an idea!" She then threw another ball. "I choose you, Migraine!"

The ball opened up and unleashed the Psyduck into the open. Migraine landed in the water and began to swim around, eyeing its opponent with its trademark blank look as it climbed onto the platform.

"LM4, like, use ThunderPunch!" exclaimed Walter.

"L M!" replied LM4 as what appeared to be a fist covered in the same patterns as the rest of its body sprouted out of its top side and crackled with electricity. LM4 then zoomed through the water, preparing to leap out at Migraine.

"Migraine, Confusion attack!" called Violet.

"Psy?" was the Psyduck's response as it turned around and tilted its head, obviously not having understood the order.

"Migraine! Come on, I know you know that move!" Violet exclaimed. "Migraine, look out!"

"Psy? DUCK!" exclaimed Migraine as it looked back just in time to see LM4's electrified fist make contact with its gut.

"What's wrong with Migraine?" wondered Red out loud as LM4 retracted its fist. Orange, who didn't seem especially keen on watching the match, merely shrugged.

Meanwhile, the battle wasn't going so well for Violet. Following Migraine's failure to use Confusion, Violet decided to stick with its other attacks, but its Water Gun was overpowered by LM4's BubbleBeam easily.

"Migraine, Submission!" said Violet.

"LM4, like, Wrap!" ordered Walter.

Immediately, a pair of tentacles unraveled themselves from LM4's sides and wound their way around Migraine's torso, squeezing it tightly.

"Let's end this- Rolling Kick!" he ordered.

"Migraine, Water Gun!" Violet cried. It was no good, however- LM4 pulled Migraine in close and slammed a newly-grown foot right into Migraine's head.

"Violet, there's still a chance!" Red exclaimed. "Remember the last time Migraine used Confusion?"

"Right- its headache!" exclaimed Violet as Migraine's eyes took on a blue glow. "A Rolling Kick to the head would give _anything_ a headache! Migraine, use your Confusion attack!"

"Psy..." droned the Psyduck as it unleashed a ray of blue light from its eyes. LM4 screeched horribly as the super effective move made contact, and released its hold on Migraine. The Bubble Cube Pokémon floated on the surface of the water, unmoving.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Walter as he withdrew LM4. "Like, you totally blew me away! Awesome battle." At that point, he reached into his duffel bag, pulled out a blue disc and a small, glittering blue object, then leapt into the pool and swiftly swam over to Violet.

"That was cool," giggled Violet as Walter climbed out of the pool. Orange rolled his eyes.

"Thanks," smiled Walter as he held out the glittering object- small and blue, in the shape of a tidal wave. "Here you go- the Drench Badge. You've totally earned it." As Violet accepted it, he then offered the blue disc. Oh, and here's TM11- it teaches BubbleBeam."

"Thank you," said Violet as Walter went back in the water and swam back to his side.

"Alright, which one of you dudes wants to go next?" he called.

"I'll go," voluteered Red.

"Oh no, you don't," said Orange suddenly, stepping up to the pool. "_I'll_ battle you next!"

Walter shrugged. "Whatever, little dude. Let me heal my Pokémon first." With that, he took both his Poké Balls and placed them on a machine in the back of the room, identical to the one Minerva used back in Rewept Gym. After a few seconds, he took the Poké Balls back and faced Orange. He placed one ball back in the nearby duffel bag and threw the other one. "Tentacool, go!"

The ball split open in midair, and Walter's Tentacool rematerialized in the water, looking as healthy as ever. "Tentacool, Tentacool," it said.

"Spearow," Orange exclaimed as he heaved a Poké Ball into the air, "I choose you!"

In a flash of light, Spearow appeared in midair, screeching loudly as it circled above the pool.

"OK, Tentacool, like, your target's, like, flying around and stuff," explained Walter. "We'll need to try, like, long-range attacks. Use BubbleBeam!"

"Tentacool!" squealed Tentacool as it unleashed a barrage of bubbles from the tips of its tentacles. Spearow, however, evaded them with ease.

"Spearow, Razor Wind attack!" ordered Orange.

"Speeeaaaaarrrowwww!" screeched Spearow as it flapped its wings furiously, sending a gust of razor-sharp air straight at Tentacool, who couldn't dive underwater quickly enough.

"Good job, Spearow, keep it up! Rapid-fire Razor Wind!" grinned Orange.

"Spea! Row! Spea! Row!" grunted Spearow with each flap of its wings, sending wave after wave of wind flying at Tentacool. Occasionally, Tentacool could attempt to block an oncoming Razor Wind with BubbleBeam, but the attack would always get popped by Razor Wind.

"OK, let's finish it! Take Down!" Orange ordered. Immediately, Spearow did a backflip in midair and dove down at Tentacool, who was too tired to try and dodge it. Skimming the surface of the pool with its talons, Spearow plowed Tentacool into the platform, though fell into the water briefly. As Walter withdrew Tentacool, Spearow got out of the water and flew over to the floating platform near Orange, though clearly had a hard time doing so; its feathers were drenched with water, making them much heavier than normal.

"Well done, little dude," remarked Walter. "But now let's see how you handle LM4!" he added as he threw the second Poké Ball, unleashing his Water/Fighting-type into the water.

"Spearow, it's a Fighting-type! Use Peck!" Orange exclaimed. Spearow flapped its wings rapidly, but only succeeding in spraying water in all directions.

"LM4, like, use Aurora Beam!" commanded Walter.

"Fooouur!" shouted LM4 as it unleashed the rainbow-colored attack. Spearow attempted to dodge it, but the flight back to the platform had worn it out too much to be able to get into the air, and the attack sent the soggy Spearow flying into its trainer's arms, clearly unfit for further battling.

"I'm sorry, Spearow," sighed Orange as he withdrew his Flying-type. "If I had just stuck with Razor Wind, you'd have been able to dodge Aurora Beam easily. But that's in the past," he continued as he readied another Poké Ball. "They say to fight fire with fire. Well, in this case, I'll fight Fighting with Fighting!" And he heaved the sphere into the air. "LM4, let's go!"

In a flash of light, Orange's LM4 materialized, landing in the pool. Now able to see the two side by side, Red realized that Orange's LM4 really was somewhat smaller than Walter's, but not by too much.

"Righteous, dude," grinned Walter. "You got an LM4 too! This is gonna, like, be really interesting. LM4, go! ThunderPunch now!"

"Use PoisonPowder!" Orange commanded as Walter's LM4 zipped through the water, electrified fist already at the ready. Orange's LM4 unleashed a plume of purple dust, which stopped its enemy cold. Walter's LM4 now had a purplish hue all over its body, and it was coughing.

"It's poisoned," remarked Red.

"Not bad, little dude," said Walter. "But try and beat our Quick Attack!"

"We'll use Quick Attack, too!" Orange replied. "Go, LM4!"

Simultaneously, the two LM4 darted through the water and collided in the middle. Walter's LM4, being larger, rammed Orange's LM4 hard, sending it crashing onto the floating platform.

"Come on, LM4, you can do it!" Orange exclaimed.

"Four... Four... FOOOOUUUUR!" bellowed Orange's LM4 suddenly as it stood on the floating platform and took on a bright glow. Orange's jaw dropped as LM4's body rounded out somewhat, and sprouted small arms, legs, and pointed ears. A tail and a pair of small wings grew out of its back as the glow faded, revealing a pale pink Pokémon to be standing in LM4's place.

"Did... LM4... But..." stammered Red.

"It evolved into Clefairy!" exclaimed Violet as Orange held out his Pokédex.

"Clefairy, the Fairy Pokémon, and the evolved form of LM4," droned Orange's Pokédex. "Exceptionally cute, Clefairy has many admirers. It is exceedingly rare and appears only in certain areas." As the Pokédex finished speaking, however, Orange's Clefairy began to glow once more. This time, the change in shape was much more drastic. Its small tail became large and thick. Its petite body grew drastically, and its ears became larger. Numerous spikes jutted out of various spots on its body, mainly its back and ears. As a large horn jutted out of its forehead, the glowing stopped, revealing a monstrous purple Pokémon, who roared loudly.

"Now that's more like it!" Orange exclaimed, holding his Pokédex out once again.

"Nidoking, the Drill Pokémon, droned the Pokédex. "Although it is the evolved form of Nidorino, when LM4 evolves into Clefairy, it will promptly evolve again into Nidoking. Nidoking possesses steel-like hide which functions much like armor. Its horn can pierce even diamonds, and its tail packs enough power to destroy concrete structures."

"Very cool," nodded Walter. "Here's the deal, though- Nidoking are, like, Ground-types, which is, like, weak to Water! How are you gonna deal with that?"

"See for yourself," said Orange, grinning widely. "Nidoking has one other move it knew since it was LM4, but I never had it use it before. Didn't really have an opportunity to, but now I do. Nidoking, TM05!"

Nidoking roared as it leapt into the water and, despite its weakness to it, swiftly swam towards LM4, but at the last second, changed direction and vanished into thin air.

"Whoa!" breathed Walter. "My LM4 didn't even learn that move yet! Awesome! LM4, be careful, it could come from anywhere!"

"Nidoking, Quick Attack!" Orange commanded.

With a sudden roar that seemed to come from nowhere, LM4 was suddenly slammed into the side of the pool as Nidoking rematerialized.

"LM4, BubbleBeam now!" called Walter.

"Not happening!" Orange declared. "Nidoking, finish it with Rolling Kick!"

As LM4 unleashed a barrage of bubbles, Nidoking leapt out of the water and expertly delivered a roundhouse kick, sending LM4 crashing into the back wall of the Gym, where it fell to the floor and moved no more.

"Wow," sighed Walter as he withdrew LM4. "Now, _that_ was a battle, little dude." As he took another badge and TM out of his bag, Orange withdrew Nidoking, allowing Walter to swim across the pool, at which point he presented Orange with a Drench Badge and a TM11.

"Good battle, Orange," said Violet. At this, Orange grinned, and then stood back, allowing Red to take his place near the pool.

"OK! Red, right?" asked Walter.

Red nodded.

"Excellent!" Walter said happily. "Just let me heal my team and I'll be glad to battle you, dude."

"You ready, Red?" asked Orange.

"As I'll ever be," Red replied.


	11. Paras's Gym Debut

Walter placed his Poké Balls on the healing machine once more, then removed them seconds later, once the device had done its deed. He then returned to the edge of the pool to face Red, who already had a Poké Ball in hand.

"Let's get this going, dude!" exclaimed Walter as he threw one of the Poké Balls. "Tentacool, like, go!"

The ball split open, unleashing a blast of energy which formed in the water into Walter's Tentacool, once again looking ready for action. "Tentacool," it said in its nasally tone.

Red threw his own Poké Ball. "Rattata! Go!" he shouted.

In a flash of light, Red's Rattata materialized on a floating platform, and proceeded to stare down Tentacool.

"Tentacool, like, use your BubbleBeam!" ordered Walter.

"Rattata, Water Gun!" commanded Red.

As Tentacool launched a stream of bubbles from the tip of its left tentacle, Rattata unleashed a torrent of water from its mouth. The two attacks met in midair, each cancelling the other one out. Both combatants stopped their attacks very quickly.

"Quick Attack now!" called Red.

"Rrrrrraaattata!" screeched Rattata as it leapt into the water and began to swim towards Tentacool with incredible speed. Tentacool was unable to move out of the way in time, and thus was slammed backwards by the force of Rattata's Quick Attack, and crashed into the platform. Rattata then continued to swim towards Tentacool as the dazed Jellyfish Pokémon attempted to shake off the blow. Rattata leapt out of the water, prominent front teeth bared, and sank the aforementioned dental hardware into Tentacool, causing it to screech in pain.

"Tentacool!" Walter exclaimed. "Like, are you alright, dude?"

"Cool," Tentacool responded albeit feebly.

"Whoa!" Orange exclaimed. "Was that a Hyper Fang?!"

"I think it was!" Red replied, sounding just as surprised as Orange.

"Hyper Fang- Rattata's special attack," droned Red's Pokédex. "An exceptionally powerful biting technique which makes full use of Rattata's prominent teeth."

"Tentacool, use your, like, Skull Bash attack!" ordered Walter.

"Hyper Fang again, Rattata!" yelled Red.

As Tentacool rammed into Rattata at full speed, Rattata refused to give in, and sank its teeth into Tentacool yet again. Tentacool, however, was able to push Rattata away this time with its tentacles. Rattata swam back to its platform and looked on as Tentacool passed out in the water.

"Dude," murmured Walter as he withdrew Tentacool. "You, like, can't catch a break today. Bummer." He then put Tentacool's ball back in his bag and threw the other one. "OK, like, let's get him, LM4!"

In a flash of light, Walter's LM4 rematerialized, and promptly proceeded to swim laps around Rattata's platform.

"Rattata, return," said Red, holding out the Poké Ball as it sent forth its red beam, withdrawing the Rat Pokémon to its spherical innards.

"Smart move, little dude," smirked Walter. "Major, like, type disadvantage, there."

"My thoughts exactly," replied Red as he enlarged and threw another Poké Ball. "Paras, let's go!"

Red's Poké Ball split open, unleashing his most recent capture into the open. Paras landed on the platform, and eyed its swimming adversary warily.

"This'll be interesting," remarked Walter. "LM4, Aurora Beam!"

"Aw, crap, I forgot about that," groaned Red. "Uh, Paras, dodge it!"

Paras did not need telling twice. At the sight of the oncoming ray of rainbow light, Paras scuttled off to the side, narrowly evading the Ice-type move.

"Paras, Stun Spore!" Red ordered.

"Paaarraaaaas!" said Paras as the mushrooms on its back began to shake, unleashing a golden dust into the air. As LM4 readied another Aurora Beam, the dust settled on its body, and it seemed to freeze in the water.

"No, dude! Go underwater and, like, wash it off!" Walter ordered.

"F-f-four..." LM4 replied as it slowly sank into the pool's depths. Once it resurfaced, however, it wasn't looking particularly better.

"It must have breathed in the Stun Spore," remarked Violet.

"Paras, Scratch attack!" Red commanded.

"Paras par!" exclaimed Paras as it leapt off its platform, landed on LM4, and took a swipe at the Bubble Cube Pokémon.

"Foooour!" screeched LM4 as it tried to shake Paras off.

"Aurora Beam at, like, close range!" called Walter.

"L... M... FOOOUUUR!" bellowed LM4 with a great effort as it unleashed another Aurora Beam, this one hitting Paras dead-on, sending the Mushroom Pokémon flying right into its trainer's arms.

"Paras!" Red gasped; upon examining his Bug and Grass-type, it became clear that LM4's Aurora Beam had done its job; Paras was out cold.

"This is not good," murmured Violet as Red withdrew Paras. Red then took the other Poké Ball off his belt, enlarged it, and stared at it for a few seconds.

"You can do this," he sighed as he threw the ball. "I believe in you. Rattata, go!"

In a flash of light, Red's Rattata re-emerged from its Poké Ball, and landed on its platform.

"LM4, like, use BubbleBeam!" Walter ordered.

"Rattata, Water Gun!" called Red.

Rattata unleashed a stream of water at the same time LM4 let fly a blast of bubbles. Unlike with Tentacool, however, LM4's BubbleBeam cut right through Rattata's Water Gun. Noticing this, Rattata hastily jumped into the pool, narrowly evading the attack.

"Oh, we got him now, dude!" grinned Walter. "Rolling Kick!"

"Rattata! Hyper Fang!" Red called.

A foot sprouted from LM4's body as it sped through the water, headed right for Rattata. The Rat Pokémon treaded water in place, waiting... then, as LM4 got close, Rattata sprung out of the water, landing right on LM4, and sunk its fangs right into the Bubble Cube Pokémon.

"Fooour!" howled LM4 in pain.

"No, dude! Shake it off!" Walter was saying, somewhat stunned at the expertness of Rattata's jump.

"F... f... fooouuur..." whined LM4 as it merely shuddered in place, the paralysis obviously kicking in again.

"We got it now!" said Red triumphantly. "Rattata, finish it! Hyper Fang!"

"Rrraaaattaataaaaaa!" bellowed Rattata as it raised its head high, then brought it back down, biting into LM4 once more.

"Fooooooouuuuur," LM4 whined again as it ceased any sort of voluntary movement and merely began drifting on the water's surface. As Rattata swam back to its platform, Walter sighed, then withdrew LM4.

"We... we did it! We did it!" Red exclaimed as it slowly dawned on him that he had in fact won against Walter.

"Nice going, dude," said Walter as he and Red withdrew their Pokémon. Walter then grabbed another badge and TM, then swam across the pool. Once he reached their end, Walter climbed out and presented Red with his Drench Badge and BubbleBeam TM.

"Thanks-" Red began.

"Yeah, yeah, let's get going," interrupted Orange, already halfway to the odd wall of water that served as a door. Rolling her eyes, Violet started after him, followed by Red. Once they were out of the Gym, Violet grabbed Orange by the shoulder and spun him around.

"What?" Orange asked defensively.

"Orange, what the hell is wrong with you?" demanded Violet. "You were so rude in there!"

"Oh, well, excuse me," Orange replied. "Mew forbid I should be rude in front of your boyfriend in there!"

"I- what- excuse me?!" Violet spluttered, her face starting to turn red.

"Oh, don't give me that crap!" snapped Orange. "You think I didn't notice? You were practically drooling all over him!"

"And why do you care?" Violet swiftly retorted, now taking the defensive.

"I don't!" Orange half-shouted. "Your little display was embarrassing! I was doing you a favor, getting you out of there when I did."

"Alright, stop it!" Red shouted suddenly, Startled by Red's sudden outburst, Orange and Violet stopped their bickering and turned to face him, both bearing expressions of mild surprise on their faces. Red's expression showed that he himself was surprised by his reaction. "...Look," he said at length, "...I'd just prefer it if the two of you... didn't argue like that, OK? I don't know, I just... I prefer it when we all get along, you know? I mean, I'm liking this, traveling with you two, and, well..." Red broke off, seemingly unable to finish what he was saying. Violet got the gist of it, however, and now looked somewhat ashamed of herself.

"Sorry, Orange," she muttered. "I mean, you were a little rude, but I guess I didn't have to explode at you like that."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Orange replied, also looking slightly ashamed. "I probably shouldn't get on your case like that when you're flirting with someone."

"I was not flirting with him!"

"Oh, come on! What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"I take you for the fool you are!" Violet retorted as they headed for the Pokémon Center, Red in the rear, facepalming as Violet and Orange continued to bicker.

45 minutes later, the trio emerged from the Pokémon Center, all of their Pokémon having been restored to full health. Violet and Orange had also stopped arguing, a fact Red was pleased with.

"So where to next?" he asked.

"Well," Orange began, "The nurse said the nearest Gym was in Fansfor City. I think the leader there's supposed to use Psychic Pokémon."

"Psychic-types?" said Red, raising his eyebrows. "Those are supposed to be the strongest kinds of Pokémon. You sure we're ready?"

"I dunno," Orange admitted with a shrug. "I mean, Q's a Psychic-type itself, but still..."

"You're right," Violet added. "The closest thing I've got to a Psychic-type is Migraine, and it can only use Confusion when its headache is severe."

"Yeah, we should probably get in some extra training before that Gym," Red nodded. "We gotta find some more trainers and challenge them to battles."

"I heard one of the trainers in the Pokémon Center talking," said Orange. "The one with the Pidgey on his shoulder? He mentioned that a lot of trainers gather in the area north of Ruceelna for training."

"Well then," Red said, now grinning, "What are we waiting for? Let's get going!" As he said this, however, Orange rushed ahead, as if determined to be the one in front. Violet rolled her eyes at this, but said nothing as she followed the two boys.

They walked for around fifteen minutes, before finally locating the path which led to the northern exit of the city. As soon as they came to the top of a small hill, however, the trio stopped simultaneously.

"Whoa," Orange stated.

Sprawled before them, surrounded by lots of randomly-placed trees made up of wood, ceiling tiles, roof shingles, and threes, was... what appeared to be a large, smelly pond, filled with stagnant, greenish slime. A swamp.

"...Uh..." Red said, "...Are you sure we went the right way?"

"Positive," replied Violet, though she seemed rather disgusted at the marshy landscape before them. At that moment, however, a young boy came wading towards them. He was dressed in shorts and a white shirt, and wore a wide-brimmed hat. A net was slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, are you three trainers?" he called.

"Yeah," Red replied.

"Well then, welcome to Nugget Swamp!" the youth exclaimed. "Here's what happens around here; passing trainers get to challenge the five trainers, and if you beat us all, you win a great prize! Now, which one of you wants to take the challenge?"

"Well, we're kind of all trying to train here," said Violet. "Any way us three can take the challenge simultaneously?"

"Not really," the boy replied. "The Nugget Swamp challenge was really only made for one trainer at a time. But you know what? How about you go through and take turns? One of you battle me, then someone else battles the next guy, and so on? You'd only get one prize, though, you'll have to share it."

Red shrugged. "Sounds good to me," he said. Orange and Violet murmured their agreement.

"So who's first?" the boy asked.

"I'll go first!" Orange volunteered enthusiastically.

"You will not," replied Violet, stepping forward, near the edge of the swamp. "I'll go first."

"Hmph," grunted Orange in annoyance, though he raised no objection.

"Very well," said the boy, as he produced a Poké Ball. "Two Pokémon each, that sound good?"

"Fine by me," replied Violet.

"OK, then!" the boy exclaimed as he threw the Poké Ball in his hand. "I choose you, Kakuna!"

In a flash of light, a small, yellow Pokémon materialized in the thick slime, which didn't appear too deep; it was able to stay mostly unsubmerged. Red turned to Orange, who was steadily starting to back up, moving away from the Kakuna. Meanwhile, Violet held out her Pokédex.

"Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokémon, and the evolved form of Weedle," said the device. "Kakuna is almost incapable of movement. In most cases, it can only use Harden."

Violet snorted as she produced a Poké Ball from her belt and enlarged it. "This should be a breeze," she scoffed as she threw the ball. "Chompy, let's go!"

In a flash of light, the Bellsprout materialized. It stood in the swamp slime, swaying slightly as it faced Kakuna.

"Chompy, Vine Whip!" ordered Violet.

"Kakuna, Harden attack!" yelled the boy.

"Kaku!" replied Kakuna as a faint glow came over its shell for a moment. At the same time, Chompy unleashed a pair of vines and slammed them into Kakuna, sending it flying backwards, landing in deeper mud. Inexplicably, it seemed able to get back into an upright position and sort of hop its way back to the battle, though it took several minutes to do so.

"Now, Kakuna, Poison Sting!" the bug catcher said.

"Kakuna kuna!" Kakuna exclaimed as it extended a small pair of arm-like stingers from the front of its shell, and fired off volleys of glowing purple spikes from them. Chompy wailed as the attack made contact.

"Chompy!" exclaimed Violet, shocked that the Kakuna was capable of attacking.

"That's what you get for underestimating Bug Pokémon," sneered the boy, obviously very pleased with himself. "Poison Sting again, Kakuna!"

"Chompy, Vine Whip!" Violet commanded.

Kakuna unleashed another volley of poisonous needles, but Chompy was too quick for it this time. Using its vines, it grabbed a branch of a nearby tree and pulled itself up, evading the Poison Sting completely. Chompy then swung itself around the branch and launched itself at Kakuna, meeting the Bug/Poison-type with its vines, this time sending it flying into its trainer's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and just knocking the Kakuna out.

"Oof..." gasped the trainer, holding the Poké Ball out. "Kakuna... Return..." Once Kakuna was back in its ball, the Bug Catcher wordlessly threw a second Poké Ball as he attempted to get his breath back. This Poké Ball yielded a small green wormlike creature- a Caterpie.

"Chompy, Wrap it!" commanded Violet.

"Tackle attack!" the Bug Catcher said, having recovered from the sudden Kakuna attack.

As Caterpie made its way through the swamp mud, Chompy leapt at Caterpie and wrapped its rootlike body around the Bug-type, rendering Caterpie incapable of executing its Tackle. After about a minute of continual squeezing, Caterpie fainted.

Sighing, the Bug Catcher withdrew Caterpie. "I did my best, I have no regrets," he said humbly as he stood aside and gestured further into the swamp, indicating that they should go on.

"You were great, Chompy," smiled Violet as she withdrew her Bellsprout. "Come on, guys, let's go," she added. Winning the battle, Red noticed, seemed to have put her in a somewhat better mood than before about having to wade through a swamp. Deciding not to question it, he and Orange followed Violet, slowly trudging their way through the mercifully shallow marsh.


	12. The Trainers Of Nugget Swamp

It was very slow work, moving through the swamp. Though it got progressively deeper, the trio were only up to their waists in smelly swamp water. The swamp water, however, was also thick, restricting their movement somewhat.

"Ugh," grunted Violet. "This is disgusting."

"Yes, we heard you," sighed Orange, rolling his eyes. "We heard you the first twenty times."

"Orange?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

At that moment, however, a young boy in a yellow t-shirt and blue shorts approached them, drifting on a small raft that appeared to be made of, curiously enough, concrete pillars bound together with vines.

"Hey, you!" he exclaimed to the trio, rowing himself towards them with what appeared to be a giant 7. "I'm the second trainer of Nugget Swamp, which of you is to be my opponent?"

"That'd be me," volunteered Red as he took a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it.

Grinning, the Youngster acted likewise, and threw his Poké Ball. ".4! Go!" he shouted.

The Poké Ball split open, and in a flash of light, a .4 materialized, gibbering excitedly. Red then threw his own Poké Ball. "Go, Rattata!"

In a flash of light, Red's Rattata appeared, expertly treading water in the swamp with ease.

".4! Agility!" the Younster ordered.

"Rattata, Quick Attack!" Red commanded.

.4 began to fly all over the place, zigzagging here and there, and picking up speed all the while. Rattata, meanwhile, leapt out of the water at high speed, slamming .4 into a nearby aluminum tree.

"Don't give in, .4!" the Youngster said. "Use Psywave!"

"Rattata, dodge it!" Red yelled, but his order was in vain; .4 launched a volley of glowing blue energy rings from its body, which Rattata was unable to evade. When the attack concluded, Rattata looked worn out already.

"That .4 must be pretty strong," Violet observed. "That Psywave looked like it did a lot."

"Use TM28 now!" the Youngster ordered. .4 complied, zooming forward and exploding in Rattata's face, sending the Rat Pokémon flying backwards. It landed in the swamp water before Red and slowly sank into it.

"Come on, Rattata," Red pleaded, plunging his hands into the muck in an attempt to locate Rattata, when suddenly a blinding flash of light forced his eyes shut. The glow brightened as its source breached the surface of the swamp, allowing the shocked onlookers to better observe Rattata evolving. Finally, the glow faded, revealing a larger creature with light brown fur to be swimming in front of Red. Orange took out his Pokédex and aimed it at Red's newly-evolved Pokémon.

"Raticate, the Rat Pokémon, and the evolved form of Rattata," droned the Pokédex. "Raticate's webbed hind feet make it an excellent swimmer. It hunts for prey by swimming in rivers."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Red. "We got it now, Raticate! Hyper Fang now!"

"Rrrrraticate!" shrieked Raticate as it zipped across the swamp with great speed and sank its prominent front teeth into .4, causing it to shriek in obvious discomfort. As Raticate let go, .4 fell into the swamp, where it bobbed on the surface, making no effort to move.

".4, get back!" exclaimed the Youngster, returning the Caffeine Pokémon to its Poké Ball. At the same time, he threw another Poké Ball. "Let's go, now, Ekans!"

In a flash of light, a long, purple creature was unleashed into the swamp, where it dove down and promptly resurfaced. It sported a pair of yellow eyes, and a single yellow band was visible around part of its body. It might have had more, Red supposed, but as it was half submerged in the swamp at the moment, there was really no way to tell. "Ekanssssss," it hissed menacingly. This time, it was Violet's turn to hold out her Pokédex.

"Ekans, the Snake Pokémon," it stated. "Ekans moves silently and stealthily. It eats the eggs of Pidgey and Spearow whole."

"Raticate, Hyper Fang!" Red ordered again.

"Ekans, Wrap it!" the Youngster commanded.

"Ekansssss!" Ekans hissed as Raticate swam towards it. As it came close, however, Ekans's long body emerged from beneath the swamp water and tightly bound the Rat Pokémon.

"Raticate, no!" Red exclaimed.

"Raticate can't move!" said Orange.

"R... Raa... Raaticaaaate..." Raticate grunted as it tried to break free of Ekans's grasp, but with no success. More than once, it tried to position its fangs so as to be able to bite Ekans, but it was unable to even do this. Once Raticate had fainted, Ekans relinquished its grip, allowing Red to withdraw it.

"OK," said Red as he took out another Poké Ball and threw it. "Charmeleon, let's go!"

The Poké Ball opened up, and Charmeleon was unleashed, landing on a low-hanging tree branch which, despite the fact that it appeared to have been made up entirely of tissue paper, held the Flame Pokémon's weight well. Though Charmeleon looked ready for action, it eyed the swamp water below warily.

"Ekans, Bite attack!" ordered the Youngster.

"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!" called Red.

"Char!" roared Charmeleon as it let loose with an impressive stream of flame, just as Ekans leapt out of the water. The Poison-type was caught in the Fire move, and upon its conclusion, Ekans's charred form fell back into the water, where it floated on the surface, making no attempt to move.

"Gah!" grunted the Youngster as he held out the Poké Ball. "Ekans, return!" Once Ekans was back in the ball, he rowed off to the side as Red withdrew Charmeleon. "I did my best, I have no regrets," he sighed, gesturing deeper into the swamp.

"I get the next one," Orange told Violet and Red.

"Sounds fair to me," Red agreed as they continued to wade.

Deeper and deeper into the swamp they wandered, wading sluggishly through the thick, smelly liquid. Then, Violet gave a violent cough.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed. "Something reeks around here!"

Orange responded by raising his left arm and sniffing the armpit. He then shrugged and said, "It's not me, I can tell you that much."

"No, this is worse than you," argued Violet, earning a glare from Orange. "This... ugh! It smells like an overflowing dumpster on a hot day!"

"Koff Koffing," came a deep voice from directly behind the trio. Simultaneously, they wheeled around, and could now see- and smell- the source of the particularly foul stench. A large purple sphere with small bumps all over it was floating in midair, giving off a strange, yellow gas from aforementioned bumps. It was drinking the swamp water, and it seemed to be enjoying itself, for it would occasionally give off a contented sigh, each one accompanied with another puff of smelly, yellow gas. It then turned around, having just noticed the trio; its face consisted of a pair of eyes above a wide, grinning mouth with only two small, yet sharp, teeth within. Below its face could be seen a skull-and-crossbones design, the same shade of yellow as the smoke it was emitting.

"It's a Koffing!" exclaimed Violet, holding out her Pokédex. "Oh, those are so cool!"

"Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokémon, droned the device. "Koffing stores several different types of toxic gases within its body, and mixes them to create potent Poison attacks. It feasts on raw garbage to add chemicals to these gases."

Orange turned and looked at Violet. "You're gonna catch this thing, aren't you?" he asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Violet replied, grinning happily, already holding a full-sized Poké Ball in her right hand. "Migraine, I choose you!" she added, throwing the ball.

In a flash of light, Violet's Psyduck materialized, landing in the swamp water and swimming around.

Koffing made the first move- it opened its mouth wide and unleashed a plume of black smoke from within, causing Migraine to give weird, quacking coughs.

"That's Koffing's Smog attack," Red warned Violet. "It could poison Migraine if you're not careful!"

"Migraine, Water Gun!" Violet ordered.

"Psy aye aye aye aye!" quacked Migraine as it unleashed a blast of water from its mouth, striking Koffing with expert precision as the Smog faded away.

"Koff!" groaned Koffing as the Water Gun made contact. Migraine unleashed another Water Gun, but this time, Koffing was ready, and responded by unleashing a thick stream of smelly, dark liquid from its mouth, meeting the Water Gun in midair, each attack blocking the other.

"What was that?" wondered Orange out loud.

"Koffing's Sludge attack, duh," replied Violet. "Migraine, use your Submission attack now!"

"Psy!" replied Migraine as it swam towards Koffing, then leapt out of the swamp water. Koffing, however, was ready for this one. The skull and crossbones briefly flashed with a white light, and then a pair of arms made entirely of yellow smoke burst forth from two of Koffing's pores. The gaseous arms grabbed Migraine, and Koffing began to wrestle it into a nearby tree.

"OK, since when can Koffing learn Submission?" asked Orange.

"It can't," Red replied, as he checked his Pokédex. "That Koffing knows Mimic, though, that must be what it's doing.

Meanwhile, Koffing had slammed Migraine headfirst into a tree, a fact Violet was quick to notice.

"Migraine, use your Confusion attack!" she ordered.

"Psy..." replied the Psyduck, its eyes glowing light blue. Then, a pair of blue beams of psychic energy exploded forth from the Water-type's eyes, striking Koffing directly, and sending it falling into the swamp water below. Groaning, it struggled to get back into the air, but Violet was wasting no time; she had already dug a red-and-white sphere out of her fanny pack.

"Poké Ball, go!" she exclaimed, throwing the orb at Koffing. Upon contact, the sphere split open, and Koffing, now turning into a shapeless mass of transparent red energy, was sucked inside. The ball then snapped shut and landed on the surface of the swamp water, where it wobbled back and forth, sending small ripples across the rancid surface of the marsh. After several moments, the ball fell still. Beaming, Violet waded over and picked up the Poké Ball.

"Nice," grinned Orange.

"What are you gonna name it, Violet?" asked Red.

"Skulls," replied Violet.

"'Skulls'?" repeated Orange. "Not 'Skull'? It only has the one skull, you know-"

"And when it evolves into a Weezing, it'll have two," Violet replied smoothly. "Now, let's keep moving, we have to find the next trainer- WAH!" For at that moment, some of the swamp muck in front of her started to rise up. As some of the water fell away, though, it became clear that what had risen wasn't really a part of the swamp. It did look to be roughly the same consistency, though, a pile of odd, purple gunk- with a pair of eyes.

"Eeeewwww," whined Violet as she backed up hastily, holding her Pokédex out like a shield. "Koffing are cool, at least, but Grimer are just creepy!"

"Grimer, the Sludge Pokémon," said Violet's Pokédex in its usual mechanical monotone. "Grimer appears in filthy areas. It thrives by sucking up polluted sludge that is pumped out of factories."

"Shoo! Get going!" Orange exclaimed to the Grimer. Grimer shook its head, however, defiantly standing its ground. At this, Orange waded his way in front of Violet and threw a Poké Ball into the air. "Q, let's teach this thing some manners!"

In a flash of light, Orange's Q materialized. "Kyuuuu," it hummed in its soft, melodic voice.

"Q, Confusion attack now!" Orange ordered. Q complied with the command, firing off a beam of blue energy. Grimer yelled out as the attack made contact, but immediately fought back by launching a stream of Sludge from its mouth. Q squealed in discomfort as the Poison move hit.

"That's one tough Grimer," remarked Red.

"Q! Headbutt!" exclaimed Orange.

"Kyuuuuu," replied Q as it dove down and slammed into Grimer, knocking its sludgy form backwards. Grimer got back up, however, and its eyes started to glow green. Immediately, several green orbs of energy floated out of Q's body and into Grimer's, seeming to revitalize the latter.

"Grimer can learn Mega Drain?!" exclaimed Orange. "That does it! Q, use TM50!"

"Wha?" Red replied, as his Pokédex spoke up.

"TM50, a move with no type. A frenzied technique in which the user slaps the opponent repeatedly."

A pair of glowing, rectangular appendages sprouted out of Q, one out of each side, and it dove down on Grimer, slapping it repeatedly with these appendages.

"Gri-i-i-i!" exclaimed Grimer, unable to react to the repeated slaps. As Q finished the attack, Grimer ceased movement, collapsing in a small, sludgy heap that bobbed about lazily on the water's surface. Orange then took out a Poké Ball.

"Orange, you wouldn't!" Violet exclaimed.

"Consider this payback for Flutters!" Orange cackled. "Poké Ball, g-" However, before Orange could throw the ball at Grimer, it turned into red energy and was sucked straight up. The trio's collective gaze followed this energy, until they saw where it ended up; inside a Poké Ball being held by a brown-haired girl around Red's age, who was standing on a tree limb.

"That Grimer was yours?!" exclaimed Violet, outraged.

"Yep!" the Lass replied. "I like to test trainers by not actually giving my Grimer commands, so they can't tell what they're up against. I was very impressed with that battle, though. I did my best, I have no regrets. Go on through."

Still glaring and grumbling audibly, Violet continued to wade through the swamp, Red and Orange following close behind.


	13. Attack Of The 6-Foot Weepinbell

"Finish it, Skulls! Sludge attack now!" shouted Violet.

"Koff!" Skulls exclaimed as it blasted its opponent, a white-and-orange frilly fish-like Pokemon with a single, sharp horn on its head, with a stream of thick, smelly, dark goop. The Goldeen was blasted backwards by the Poison move, and it came to rest right in front of its trainer, who was clad only in swim trunks, and was, for reasons nobody in the group really wanted to know, swimming in the deeper portion of Nugget Swamp. Sighing, the Swimmer withdrew Goldeen.

"I did my best, I have no regrets," he stated simply as he swam off to the side. "Proceed."

"You do know you can just stand up in this, right?" asked Orange. "It's not that deep."

"I know that," scoffed the Swimmer. "I just don't like to take the easy way out. Most trainers will ride an aquatic Pokémon across the waves, but not me. Besides, if I ever pass up an opportunity to swim, how will I keep up this buff physique?" he added, flexing his left arm in order to show off his muscles.

"Sounds reasonable to me," Violet said, eyeing aforementioned muscles.

"Let's go," said Orange pointedly, leading the way. Violet shot him a particularly nasty glare, but followed him, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Red said nothing, and merely waited for the fight to break out once they were out of earshot of the Swimmer. To his mild surprise, however, this never happened. Violet and Orange remained silent as the trio made their way through the waist-deep swamp water, though they would occasionally shoot dirty looks at each other.

Before long, a boy around Red's age approached the group, dressed in a green jacket with matching pants and a cap.

"Let me guess, you're number five?" asked Red.

"You got that right," nodded the Jr. Trainer. "Which one of you am I battling?"

"I'll go," volunteered Red. "Violet, you got the last one, and Orange, you took the one before that."

"That one shouldn't count, I didn't know that Grimer had an owner," Orange replied stubbornly.

"It still counts, though," Violet added.

"Violet?" said Orange.

"What?"

"Shut up."

Violet looked to be at a loss for words, obviously not having expected this. Orange smirked at the dumbfounded expression on her face.

"Yeah, how do you like it?" he asked. "Not so funny when it's turned around on you, is it? How was that, Red? Er... Red?"

For Red had already started to battle the Jr. Trainer. His Paras was floating on the surface of the swamp water, glancing warily at its opponent- a Mankey.

"Mankey, go! Scratch attack!" ordered the Jr. Trainer.

"Paras, Stun Spore!" Red commanded.

"Paraaas!" exclaimed Paras as it unleashed a cloud of yellow dust from its mushrooms. Mankey, who had been swimming expertly through the pond water, approaching Paras at a fast pace, was forced to stop as the spores stunned it.

"Now Scratch it!" called Red.

Paras clumsily swam through the swamp water, and took a vicious swipe at Mankey with its right claw. Screeching in pain, Mankey swam, with great difficulty, over to the nearest tree, which appeared to be made entirely out of popsicle sticks, duct tape, and toilet seats. Slowly, the Pig Monkey Pokémon climbed its way up the arboreal anomaly, and stood on a branch hanging over the swamp, glaring down at Paras.

"Good, Mankey!" the Jr. Trainer exclaimed. "Use your Body Slam!"

"Paras, Leech Life now!" Red commanded.

Mankey screeched as it leapt out of the tree, attempting to land on Paras, who simply bared its teeth, and chomped down on Mankey as it landed, sucking away some of its energy.

"That does it, Mankey, let's get ready to finish it!" the Jr. Trainer shouted. "Use Rock Slide!"

"Paras, Bide!" Red exclaimed, causing Violet and Orange to exchange surprised looks.

"Bide?" repeated Orange. "Since when-"

"I used the TM I won in Rewept Gym while Violet was battling that Swimmer," Red explained. "I figured Paras could use another move."

Paras's entire body took on a bright yellow glow as Mankey fired a pair of red beams from its eyes. The beams flew over Paras, leaving a number of strange, glowing red circles in their wake. Then, from each circle fell a number of brown boulders, each one landing on Paras. Most of them fell into the swamp water after striking the Mushroom Pokémon, but some remained on top. Then, once the attack was done, the glow intensified, and Paras launched an intense beam of yellow energy at the surprised Mankey, knocking it off the tree limb and into its trainer's arms. Mankey made no further effort to move.

"I did my best, I have no regrets," sighed the Jr. Trainer as he withdrew Mankey and stepped aside.

"Is that all you guys can say when you lose?" asked Orange. "More importantly, that's five of you guys we've crushed now, so where's our reward?"

"You're almost out of the swamp," replied the Jr. Trainer. "The guy in charge of the challenge should be standing at the edge of the swamp, he's the guy you talk to about a reward."

"Thanks," said Red as he withdrew Paras. Red now led the way, and sure enough, not two minutes later, the group found themselves back on dry ground/aluminum siding/floor tiles. They had left Nugget Swamp. Standing nearby was a man wearing a nondescript gray hoodie sweatshirt and white pants. He approached the trio immediately.

"I must congratulate the three of you," he said. "You have defeated our five contest trainers, and have earned this great reward- a genuine gold Nugget!" At this, he reached into a bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out what appeared to be a solid gold sphere, about the size of a Poké Ball.

"OK, I'm just gonna come right out and say it," said Orange. "Which one of us holds onto it?"

"I volunteer Red," Violet replied. "I think we can both trust him."

"Thanks, Violet," grinned Red as he accepted the Nugget from the man and placed it into his backpack.

"When we go back to Ruceelna tonight, we'll stop at the Pokémart," suggested Orange. "Those places will buy literally anything off of a trainer. We sell it there and split the profits three ways, that sound good?"

"Fine by me," said Red and Violet simultaneously.

"One more thing," the man added. "Would any of you be interested in joining Team Debug? We're a-"

"An extremist criminal organization who tries to wipe out entire races of Pokémon," Violet interrupted. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Over my dead body," added Orange.

"Same here," put in Red.

The man scowled at the trio. "You can't be serious," he stated. "Sure, Team Debug gets some bad press, but we're going to save the world! Now, it looks like you three need convincing! I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse!" As he said this, he unzipped his hoodie, revealing his shirt which displayed the Team Debug insignia, and then took three Poké Balls off his belt and threw them all at once. "Diglett! Venonat! Weepinbell! Go!"

In three flashes of light, a trio of Pokémon materialized; a small, brown creature with a simple face consisting of two small, beady, black eyes, a large red nose, and no visible mouth, which appeared to be at least partly underground; a spherical insect covered in purple fur, with a pair of large, round, red eyes, a mouth with two small fangs, a pair of antennae, and two small hands; a yellow, bell-shaped creature that looked something like a larger-than-life replica of a Bellsprout's head, with a pair of leaves on its sides, not unlike what a Bellsprout had on its twig-like torso. Simultaneously, Red, Orange, and Violet held out their Pokédexes at these creatures.

"Diglett, the Mole Pokémon," said Red's Pokédex. "Diglett lives about one yard underground, where it feasts on plant roots. It sometimes appears aboveground."

"Venonat, the Insect Pokémon," droned Orange's Pokédex. "Venonat lives in the shadows of tall trees. It uses its large, radar-like eyes to move about in darkness."

"Weepinbell, the Flycatcher Pokémon, and the evolved form of Bellsprout," stated Violet's Pokédex. "Weepinbell's Acid can dissolve anything. This Acid in addition to its PoisonPowder are its main means of subduing its prey."

Once the Pokédexes had finished speaking, Red took out a Poké Ball and enlarged it, Orange and Violet following suit. They then threw the balls simultaneously.

"Charmeleon, I choose you!" Red shouted.

"Chompy, let's do it!" exclaimed Violet.

"Go! .4!" exclaimed Orange.

In another three flashes of light, Red's Charmeleon, Orange's .4, and Chompy, Violet's Bellsprout, materialized at the same time. The Debug Grunt scowled at the sight of .4.

"Attack that abomination first!" he ordered. "Diglett! Scratch!"

"Wait a second, Scratch?" asked Orange, as he cast a dubious glance at the Mole Pokémon, who seemed to sport no obvious appendages, let alone anything sharp. "With what?" he asked.

As if in response, Diglett moved forward, plowing its way through the rock, the ceramic tiles, and the aluminum siding, and its nose began to glow. As the nose glowed, it lengthened, coming to a point. Diglett then twisted around in the ground as it approached .4, the point of its nose raking the Caffeine Pokémon's side.

"Well, that was weird," Orange remarked. ".4, use TM28!"

.4 gibbered excitedly as it dove down at Diglett and promptly exploded. As the dust cleared, however, it became clear that Diglett had evaded the attack by going underground, as evidenced by the small hole in the ground, and the fact that Diglett was resurfacing some five feet away from .4, looking totally unscathed.

"Chompy, Growth!" Violet ordered.

"Charmeleon, hit Venonat with Flamethrower!" commanded Red.

".4, Agility!" called Orange.

The Grunt then proceeded to bark out orders to his Pokémon. "Diglett, Sand-Attack! Weepinbell, you use your own Growth! Venonat, Sleep Powder!"

Chompy and Weepinbell simultaneously took on light green auras and proceeded to grow until they were double their usual sizes. Weepinbell was now just as tall as its trainer, while Chompy was still shorter than its evolved form. As they glared at each other, Diglett spun in place, sending a spray of sand in Charmeleon's direction, though .4 began to fly in circles around the Ground-type with increasing rapidity. Then, on Orange's order, .4 used TM28 once more, and this time, the blast knocked Diglett out. Charmeleon, meanwhile, easily overpowered the cloud of blue dust Venonat had emitted with a powerful stream of fire, rendering the Venonat unconscious in the process.

The grunt withdrew Diglett and Venonat, but didn't look particularly concerned. "Wrap the Charmeleon!" he ordered.

"Bell," grunted the Weepinbell in a deep voice as the brown stem-like protrusion on top of its head lengthened, growing into a lengthy vine, and, before anyone could do anything about it, binding Charmeleon completely, except for its tail. Charmeleon flailed its tail about, attempting to use Ember on Weepinbell, but the attack missed miserably. Weepinbell squeezed tighter as Chompy and .4 moved in to attack. .4, in its excitement, however, used TM28 a few seconds too early. While Weepinbell was hit by the attack, it didn't seem to have taken nearly as much damage from the blast as it ought to have. It did, however, have the effect of forcing Weepinbell to release Charmeleon, though this turned out to not be such an issue; Charmeleon had already fainted.

"Now use Razor Leaf!" the grunt ordered as Red withdrew Charmeleon.

"Chompy, Vine Whip!" Violet commanded.

".4, TM09!" shouted Orange.

Weepinbell swung its leaves around wildly, and a flurry of razor-sharp leaves flew forth from them. Chompy sprouted a pair of vines from behind its leaves, managing to swat down most of them, but some struck .4, who screeched with discomfort as its body caught fire. .4 rose up high into the air, ready to dive-bomb Weepinbell.

"Jump with Vine Whip!" roared the grunt.

"Bell bell Weepinbell," replied Weepinbell as its brown stem extended once again, and this time, it slapped the ground hard, propelling itself into the air just as .4 dove. The Pokémaniac-type slammed into the ground, creating a fiery explosion, which Weepinbell had managed to evade completely. Knowing already that .4 was down, Orange withdrew it, leaving only Chompy to deal with the Weepinbell.

"We are so screwed," muttered Orange to Red.

"I heard that," snapped Violet as Weepinbell landed right where it had started from. "Chompy, Sleep Powder!"

"Weepinbell, Slam!" commanded the grunt.

The Bellsprout exhaled a cloud of glittery blue dust from its large mouth, which Weepinbell hopped out of the way of before slapping Chompy with its vine, sending it flying into a large rock. Shakily, Chompy got back onto its roots and walked back over to Weepinbell, a determined look in its eyes. Without even waiting for orders, Chompy lunged at its evolved counterpart, its body getting longer, and constricted the Weepinbell with its continually lengthening torso. Weepinbell groaned under the pressure of the Wrap attack, and attempted to pry the Bellsprout off with its leaves. This proved futile, however, and only spurred Chompy to squeeze harder. At last, the Bellsprout relinquished its grip; the Weepinbell hadn't fainted yet, but was panting heavily. Clearly the attack had taken a lot out of it, but it still looked willing to battle.

And then Chompy began to glow.

"All right!" Violet exclaimed as her starter Pokémon proceeded to evolve, its slender body shrinking away into the top of its head, the head itself getting larger, the leaves shifting their position. When the white light faded, there were now two six-foot Weepinbell present, each one glaring at the other, though the Debug Grunt's Weepinbell looked noticeably less confident now.

"Chompy, let's end this," said Violet, a confident smirk on her face. "Acid."

"Bell!" exclaimed Chompy as it blasted a stream of corrosive purple fluid from its gaping mouth. The grunt's Weepinbell groaned in agony as the attack landed, and quickly flopped over onto its back, shrinking back down to its regular size.

"All right, Chompy!" Violet cheered as her own Weepinbell shrunk back down to its original size.

"It's a shame," sighed the grunt as both Weepinbell were withdrawn to their Poké Balls by their respective trainers. "Talent like yours, you could have made it big in Team Debug. You, though, redhead, you got a lot to learn about Pokémon. Specifically, what is and isn't a Pokémon-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've heard that garbage before," interrupted Orange as he walked away.

"Hey, Orange, where are you going?" asked Red as he ran over to him. "We gotta go back through the swamp to get back to Ruceelna."

"Yeah, but we don't have to get back just yet," replied Orange as Violet caught up. "The day's only half done, and I can see some trainers over there. Didn't we come out this way for training in the first place?" When neither Red nor Violet raised any objections, Orange grinned at them and ran off towards the nearest trainer, challenging him to a battle at the top of his lungs.

"I don't know why, but I hate it when he's right," sighed Violet as she and Red walked off after Orange.


	14. Return Of The Bug Catcher

"All right, Pidgey! Quick Attack!"

"Spearow, Take Down!"

The two bird Pokémon streaked through the air, each aiming for the other one, fully intending to collide. When they crashed into each other, they fell to the ground. Spearow shakily climbed back onto its small feet, but its opponent, a slightly smaller bird with brown plumage all over, didn't even try to get back up.

"Pidgey, return," sighed the Youngster, holding out a Poké Ball.

"Yeah, we did it, Spearow!" Orange exclaimed happily.

"That is one awesome Spearow you got there," the Youngster said.

"I know, right?" Orange replied, grinning proudly. "Your Pidgey didn't do too bad itself, either."

"Thanks," said the Youngster before walking off, saying something about getting Pidgey to the Pokémon Center.

"Orange, you've been battling every single trainer we've come across since we got out of Nugget Swamp," Violet complained.

"And I beat them all!" Orange declared proudly, missing the point completely.

"What Violet is saying, Orange, is maybe you should give one of us a shot," said Red.

"Oh, what are you guys complaining about?" chuckled Orange. "Between Chompy and Rattata evolving, not to mention Violet catching Koffing, you two did well enough for yourselves in the swamp."

Violet opened her mouth to reply, when a familiar voice greeted their ears.

"Hey! Red, Orange, Violet, that you?"

Red wheeled around, to see a familiar-looking Bug Catcher running towards them. Orange and Violet did the same, and all three of them looked surprised.

"Jimmy?!" exclaimed Orange. "What are you doing here?"

"It is you guys! I decided to start traveling, see if I could get any more Bug-types. There's only so many different kinds in Ivadirin Forest. Just the Caterpie and Weedle families, plus Z4."

"How'd that go, anyway?" asked Violet. "You were gonna try and get a more obedient Z4, weren't you?"

"Yeah... that didn't exactly pan out that well," Jimmy chuckled weakly. "But I did get some new ones! Who's gonna battle me and see?"

Violet turned to glare at Orange, but for once, the overeager trainer was keeping quiet. Clearly, his fear of Bug-types was starting to overcome his love for battle.

"I'll go," said Violet. "How many Pokemon should we each use?"

"Two each sound good?" asked Jimmy as he took a Poké Ball off his belt.

"Fine by me," smirked Violet as she readied a Poké Ball of her own.

Jimmy threw his ball first. "OK, Venonat! Let's go!"

In a flash of light, the round, fuzzy, purple form of a Venonat materialized. After sizing it up for a second, Violet threw the Poké Ball in her hand. "Go, Flutters!" she called as her Butterfree emerged.

"Hey, Flutters evolved, pretty cool!" grinned Jimmy. "OK, Venonat! Tackle attack!"

"Veno nat!" replied Venonat as it leapt into the air, trying to slam into Flutters.

"Flutters, use your Confusion attack!" Violet ordered.

"Freeh freeeh!" chittered Flutters as it let loose a pair of blue rays of light from its eyes, slamming into the Insect Pokémon with full force, knocking it to the ground.

"Venonat, Tackle again!" ordered Jimmy.

"Flutters, Harden!" Violet called.

As Venonat leapt at the Butterfree once more, Flutters stuck its wings straight out, and its entire body seemed to gleam in the broken, pixelly sunlight for a moment. Venonat bounced off of the Butterfree's body with a resounding CLAAANG and fell backwards. Flutters proceeded to flap its wings again, rising higher into the air.

"Good, Flutters! Now use String Shot!" exclaimed Violet.

"Freeeeeheeeeheeeh!" trilled Flutters as it unleashed several strands of white string from its mouth, quickly wrapping Venonat up in it until it couldn't move anymore.

"Vmmm nmmmt," muffled Venonat.

"No, Venonat! Try a Psybeam!" Jimmy exclaimed desperately.

"Flutters! Tackle it now!" Violet exclaimed, grinning widely. Flutters dove down at the immobilized Venonat, who couldn't seem to launch Psybeam. Venonat was sent flying into Jimmy's arms once the Butterfree slammed into it.

"Venonat, return!" Jimmy exclaimed as he held out the Poké Ball and calling the Insect Pokémon back. Once Venonat had been returned, he replaced the ball with another one and threw it. "OK, that's it! Scyther, let's go!"

"S-s-s-s-scyyyy... S-s-s-s-scyyyyy..." Orange started gasping as a rather large winged creature emerged from Jimmy's Poké Ball. It stood on two legs, and was brandishing its arms; more specifically, the sharp, shiny, metallic sword blades on the ends of the arms. In what he evidently considered to be a nonchalant manner, Orange moved off to the side until he was directly behind Red.

"Scyther!" shrieked the large bug. Violet held out her Pokédex at her newest opponent.

"Scyther, the Mantis Pokémon," droned the device. "Scyther moves incredibly quickly and shreds its enemy with its razor-sharp scythes. On rare occasions, it flies with its wings."

"Flutters, use your Confusion!" Violet ordered.

"Scyther, Quick Attack!" Jimmy called.

Butterfree prepared to launch beams of psychic energy, but before it could even begin, Scyther began to flap its wings with incredible rapidity, and zipped forward with even greater rapidity, slamming headfirst into the Butterfree and tackling it to the ground.

"Flutters, return!" Violet exclaimed, holding out the Poké Ball and recalling her feebly stirring Butterfree. She quickly took out another ball and launched it. "I choose you, Skulls!"

In a flash of light, Violet's Koffing materialized, "Koffing," it rumbled in a deep voice.

"Koffing, pretty cool," nodded Jimmy. "OK, Scyther, use Wing Attack now!"

"Skulls, Smog attack!" commanded Violet.

"Koffing," replied Skulls as it blasted a thick, dark green fog from the prominent pores all over its body. Scyther had flown right into its fog, and could soon be heard coughing.

"Now, Skulls, Mimic!" Violet called.

Skulls looked down at the Smog cloud, and its skull-and-crossbones pattern briefly glowed with a bright white light. At that moment, Scyther flew out of the cloud, now hovering behind the Koffing.

"Scyther, Slash it!" ordered Jimmy.

"Skulls, Wing Attack!" yelled Violet.

"Koffing!" exclaimed Skulls as two of its pores unleashed plumes of smog. Each cloud formed itself into the shape of a wing as the Koffing began to fly towards the oncoming Scyther. The smog-wings and swordlike blades collided in midair, to general astonishment at just how solid the Koffing's "wings" had turned out to be. After several minutes of struggling, both attacks got through to their respective targets. Skulls smacked Scyther with its "wings", while Scyther sliced at Skulls with its scythes. Both Pokemon fell to the ground after this, neither one of them able to get back up.

"A draw, who'd have guessed?" remarked Orange as both trainers were recalling their Pokémon.

"It's not a draw, though," argued Violet. "Flutters took a lot of damage from Scyther's Quick Attack, but it wasn't knocked out. I'll admit, it was a pretty close match, though!"

"Yeah," grinned Jimmy. "That was a pretty good battle-"

"Sshhh!" hissed Orange, his eyes wide, staring at something behind Jimmy. Red looked, and saw a vaguely familiar rectangular thing floating a foot or so off the ground. It was covered in black, orange, and purple markings.

"Hey, is that-" began Red.

"It's an A," whispered Orange. "I missed my chance back at Rewept City, I'm not about to let this one get away!"

At that moment, however, the A turned to face Orange, and seemed to do a double take upon noticing him, giving a surprised squeak.

"Huh," remarked Violet. "Orange, I think that's the same A from that last time!"

"You think so?" asked Orange, surprised as A began to squeak in a frightened manner, slowly backing away.

And then, suddenly, a net fell over the A from above it. Orange looked up and gasped in outrage, for a pair of Team Error grunts were standing on an aluminum tree limb, looking very pleased with themselves. A, meanwhile, was squeaking in an agitated manner, struggling to free itself from the net.

"Heh heh, nice work, Larry!" laughed one of them. "A are really rare, the boss is gonna be very pleased with this!"

"Hey!" Orange exclaimed. "Team Error! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Hey, it's the twerps again!" said Larry as he and Jeff wheeled around to face them. Then, as one, the duo leapt off the tree branch and landed on the ground expertly, each on one side of the net.

"What we're doing, little boy, I think would be easy enough to understand," sneered Jeff. "We're catching ourselves a new Pokémon!"

"With a net?" scowled Orange. "I don't think so!"

"Hey, Poké Balls are expensive!" whined Larry. "And our salary is pitiful!"

"OK, less talking, more fighting," snapped Jeff as he threw a Poké Ball. "pPkMnp, go!"

"I choose you, 7g!" added Larry, throwing a ball of his own.

The Poké Balls burst open, revealing the horizontal rectangular form of pPkMnp, and the reddish cube that was 7g. Orange took out a Poké Ball of his own, but Jeff slapped Larry upside the head. "OK, wait, why are we battling them when we can just grab A and make a break for it? pPkMnp, use TM04!"

pPkMnp roared as it let loose a plume of purple dust from the top of its body, Everyone tensed up, but the clouds of purple dust didn't even make them cough, and were gone just as soon as they came.

"TM04, a Water-type move with no discernible effect," piped up Violet's Pokédex.

"Hey, they're gone!" exclaimed Orange. "And so is A!"

Indeed, neither Team Error grunt could be seen. A was also gone, along with the net it had been trapped in. pPkMnp and 7g were gone as well.

"We gotta try and find them," stated Violet.

"Yes, we gotta save A!" Orange nodded.

"Hey, maybe I can help," offered Jimmy, holding up a Poké Ball. "Do you have anything that's ever come in contact with that A?" he asked.

"No- wait!" exclaimed Orange as he threw the ball he had been holding. "Spearow, go!"

The Poké Ball burst open, unleashing Orange's Spearow in a flash of white light.

"When I first tried to catch A, it pushed this Spearow in front of the Poké Ball," explained Orange. "But why-"

"This is why," grinned Jimmy, tossing his own Poké Ball into the air. "Weedle, come on out!"

Orange stifled a scream and hastily backed up as Jimmy's Weedle materialized, landing expertly in his trainer's hand.

"Spearow," Jimmy called up, "Can you please come down here? I need Weedle to smell you."

Spearow simply glanced down at Jimmy, the look on its face implying that it thought he was crazy. After a moment, however, Spearow descended, though still regarded Jimmy warily. "OK, Weedle, get the A's scent and lead us to it!" Jimmy said.

"Weedle," replied Weedle as it placed its nose close to Spearow's left wing and sniffed deeply. Weedle then raised its head and sniffed at the air. And then it tensed up, and blasted a String Shot at a nearby tree limb, and swung by the string. Then it broke off that String Shot and fired another one at another tree limb, further away. Weedle continued this, swinging its way off into the distance. Jimmy raced after his Weedle, motioning for the trio to follow. After exchanging highly confused looks, that's just what they did, Spearow following them in the sky.

"What... was that... about?" panted Orange as they caught up with the Bug Catcher.

"Weedle have... an amazing... sense of smell," Jimmy replied as they ran. "Those noses... aren't just... for show, you know. And they... lose this... sense of smell... when they evolve."

"I've often... wondered why... some Bug Catchers... won't evolve... Weedle," remarked Orange.

Several minutes later, they had caught up to Jeff and Larry. The two were walking at a leisurely pace, each one holding one end of A's net. They had obviously called pPkMnp and 7g back to their Poké Balls.

"Stop, thieves!" Orange called out.

"Weedle, String Shot!" exclaimed Jimmy.

"Weeeeedle!" replied Weedle as it fired off several strands of silk from its horn. These strands stuck fast to the backs of the grunts' shirts, and though the strands snapped easily, they caused the grunts to stumble and drop A's net. Undaunted, Jeff and Larry wheeled around, each one now brandishing a Poké Ball.

"How did you catch up with us?" demanded Larry.

"Like we'll tell you," Violet replied coldly.

"Now let that A go!" added Orange.

"Not on your life!" snarled Jeff, throwing the Poké Ball. "pPkMnp, go!"

"You too, 7g!" added Larry.

Once again, the villains' Pokémon materialized, looking as ready for battle as Pokémon without faces could hope to look.

"Spearow, ready?" called Orange.

"Speeearow!" cawed Spearow as it descended, hovering directly in front of Orange.

Red then threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Charmeleon!" he exclaimed.

In a flash of light, Red's Charmeleon appeared. It stood in front of red, claws bared, ready and raring for battle.

"pPkMnp, use Sludge on Charmeleon!" ordered Jeff.

"7g, Double-Edge on Spearow!" called Larry.

"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!" exclaimed Red.

"Spearow, use Take Down!" commanded Orange.

pPkMnp launched a stream of sludge at Charmeleon, who met it with a stream of fire. The attacks collided, neither one letting the other advance any. Meanwhile, 7g and Spearow flew at each other and collided with great force.

"Now use Razor Wind!" Orange called.

"Speearrrow!" cawed Spearow as it flapped its wings rapidly, the wind slicing at 7g. Unknown to anyone other than A, the attack also grazed the net, slicing through a little bit of it.

"More power, Charmeleon!" Red urged.

"Chaaaar!" roared Charmeleon as its Flamethrower intensified, becoming hotter and wider. Slowly, pPkMnp's Sludge was getting pushed back.

"OK, Spearow, Peck it now!" Orange ordered.

"Roooooowwwww!" Spearow screeched as it streaked towards 7g and struck it with its small yet sharp beak, knocking the Slow Pokémon out of the air and onto the ground. At the same time, Charmeleon's Flamethrower won out completely, scorching pPkMnp. Without waiting for orders, Charmeleon then ran at pPkMnp and executed a Scratch attack. It was clear that pPkMnp's injuries had been severe, for not even its incredible Defense helped out; as Charmeleon unleashed Scratch, the Fortress Pokémon fell to the ground."

"Return!" Jeff and Larry exclaimed simultaneously as they withdrew their fallen Pokémon. Then, something unprecedented happened; they readied two other Poké Balls.

"Wait, what?!" Orange exclaimed. "I thought you couldn't afford Poké Balls!"

"We can, we just gotta save our salaries for months in order to get any," replied Jeff as he threw his ball. "Go, 'M!"

"Let's do it, Z4!" added Larry.

Larry's Poké Ball unleashed a Z4, an all-too-familiar sight to the trio (especially Orange, who whimpered slightly at the sight of it, yet stood his ground all the same). Jeff's however, unleashed something Red had only previously seen on his Pokédex's screen. From a side view, it was vaguely L-shaped, but facing them head on, it proved to have a rather narrow body On the part that protruded forward, it sported a pair of wide, square eyes, one on each side of its body, directly above a wide, grinning mouth. The whole thing stood roughly eight feet tall. Though he already knew what it was, Red held his Pokédex out.

"'M, the Shoreline Pokémon," droned his Pokédex. "'M thrive in coastal areas, though are not particularly adept swimmers. It flies through the air with style and grace, and hits with the force of a freight train."

"OK, Charmeleon, hit Z4 with Flamethrower!" ordered Red.

"'M, Water Gun!" exclaimed Jeff.

"Z4, Body Slam!" Larry called out.

"Spearow, use Take Down on 'M now!" commanded Orange.

Charmeleon launched a stream of flame at Z4, but 'M swooped in front of Z4 and launched from its mouth a blast of water, cutting through the Flamethrower like extremely fiery butter, and soaking Charmeleon, who roared its disapproval. Spearow rammed into 'M's side, however, disrupting the attack. As 'M recovered from the attack, Charmeleon continued its Flamethrower, knocking Z4 out.

"OK, 'M, Sky Attack now!" ordered Jeff.

"M M!" trilled 'M as it rose into the air, its entire body taking on a majestic golden glow.

Red and Orange tensed up, both knowing just how powerful a Sky Attack could be. And 'M's reputation for hitting with the force of a freight train did nothing to improve their spirits.

And then a rectangular blur slammed into 'M, disrupting the Sky Attack's charging. Orange's jaw dropped; A had broken free of its net, and had attacked 'M.

"A, you're free!" Orange exclaimed.

A squeaked excitedly and flew in circles over Orange's head. Orange couldn't understand what it was saying, but he got a vague feeling that it seemed grateful for his rescue efforts.

"'M, take them all out!" Jeff exclaimed. "Use Tri Attack!"

"M!" exclaimed 'M as a large, glowing triangle formed in front of it, then flew towards A.

"No! A, dodge it!" Orange exclaimed. A flew straight up into the air, and managed to evade the triangle completely. A then flew at 'M again, landing another light blow. Now it seemed to be going even faster than usual.

"TM40, a Normal-type move," said Orange's Pokédex. "A light, quick blow which increases the user's Speed."

"OK, A!" Orange exclaimed. "Give it a Razor Wind!"

A squeaked loudly as it rotated furiously in midair like a fan, sending a gust of cutting air right at 'M, causing it to screech in discomfort. Then, A began to glow and change shape!

"Is it evolving?" asked Red.

Orange shook his head. "A don't evolve," he replied. "It's using Transform!"

"Wait, Transform?" Red asked, taken by surprise by this news. "I thought only Ditto could learn Transform!"

"Nope. Ditto and A," Violet stated. A stopped glowing at that point, only now it looked identical to 'M.

"A, try a Mega Punch!" Orange called, after quickly consulting his Pokédex for a list of moves the Speed Demon Pokémon could now use. Despite now looking like 'M, A still squeaked like its old self as a thick arm tipped in a large fist seemed to grow out of the top of its body. A then flew at 'M and slammed the fist into the Shoreline Pokémon. 'M was thrown backwards, where it collided with Jeff and Larry, and they were all sent flying into the distance.

"Goodbye, and good riddance!" shouted Violet as A resumed its usual form.

"Wow," sighed Orange. "A, thank you so much!"

A squeaked happily in response as it flew circles around Orange, this time level with his head.

"Orange, I think A wants to go with you," Jimmy pointed out.

"A, is this true?" Orange asked, a look of mild surprise on his face. A nodded, but then put some distance between itself and Orange, and gave a loud squeak.

Orange grinned and nodded, understanding at once. "OK, I get it, you want a battle first," he said as he withdrew Spearow and took out another Poké Ball. "Let's do this, then! .4, go!"

In a flash of light, Orange's .4 appeared, gibbering excitedly and flying in tiny circles, unable to contain its limitless energy.

A made the first move, and launched a barrage of coins. .4 screeched as the metallic projectiles made contact with its diminutive body.

".4, use your TM28 attack!" ordered Orange.

"EEEEEEEEEE!" shrieked .4 as it zoomed in close to A and exploded, sending the Normal/Normal-type flying backwards.

"Good! Now use Wing Attack!" Orange ordered.

Instantly, a pair of wings seemed to appear out of nowhere on .4, one wing coming out of each side. The wings looked as though they were composed of small purple cubes, giving the wings a distinctly blocky appearance. .4 then zoomed forward and struck A with its wings, slamming the Speed Demon Pokémon to the ground.

Orange wasted no time, and launched a red-and-white sphere at the unmoving A. "Poké Ball, go!" he yelled.

The ball struck A, transformed it into a shapeless mass of transparent red energy, and sucked it inside. It then fell to the ground and began to wobble back and forth, a red light blinking on the ball's button the whole time. For a moment, there was total silence as everyone present watched the ball intently. Even .4 seemed to be holding perfectly still. And then, at long last, the ball stopped moving.

"YES!" Orange exploded, cheering loudly as he ran over and scooped up the Poké Ball containing his newest Pokémon. "I did it! A is mine!"

"Nice!" Jimmy exclaimed. "Hey, so what are you guys doing up here, anyway? Meant to ask you that a while ago, but this whole A business got me a little sidetracked."

"Can't say I blame you," shrugged Red.

"We came up this way to train," explained Violet. "We heard that Fansfor Gym's leader uses Psychic-types, and we figured we should toughen up our Pokémon before going there."

"Good thinking," Jimmy remarked as his Weedle crawled onto his shoulder. "I actually came up here to see if I could meet Meg."

"Who?" asked Red.

"...What did you say?" asked Jimmy. "You mean you don't know who Meg is? Meg Abytte, the extremely cute creator of the Pokémon PC Storage System? ...At-at least, that's what I hear," he added, blushing slightly.

"Riiiiight," Orange said with a smirk on his face as he winked knowingly at the Bug Catcher. This only served to increase the amount of red growing on his face.

"Yes, well, ahem, so, that's where I'm headed," Jimmy said.

"You know what? I think we'll come with you," Orange said. "She did, after all, invent the PC Storage System, it might be good for us to visit her."

"I thought we were supposed to be training today?" asked Violet, a rather irritated look on her face.

"We've been training all day," Orange said dismissively. "Anyway, it can't be that far, right, Jimmy?"

"Not that far, I don't think," Jimmy said as his blushing went away somewhat. "I think it's only a short walk from here."

"Great, then let's go!" Orange exclaimed. With that, the four trainers headed off in the direction indicated by Jimmy.


	15. A Meeting With Meg

"I am not!"

"You are too!"

"I am not!"

"You are too!"

"I am not!"

"You are too!" exclaimed Orange. "Just admit it, Jimmy, you are in love with Meg."

"I'm not!" insisted Jimmy, who had been blushing the entire time. "The PC Storage System is an absolute necessity for any trainer, and I just wanted to meet the person responsible for it!"

"Uh huh," smirked Orange. "Yeah. That's the entire reason, right?"

"Orange?" said Violet.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Orange stopped pestering Jimmy, and for the remainder of the walk, contented himself with grumbling under his breath and shooting the occasional glare at Violet.

True to Jimmy's word, the walk was indeed short. They came upon a relatively small building that seemed to be built entirely out of old computer parts and an assortment of pine cones.

"I think this might be the place," remarked Orange.

"It's the only house up this way," shrugged Red. Jimmy walked up to a cluster of keyboards held together with duct tape which seemed to function as a door, and knocked on it.

"Come in," came a female voice from inside. Jimmy opened up the door and led the way inside.

The interior was somewhat cluttered. A number of notebooks were piled in various areas all over the room. In the back, a pair of large steel cylinders were constructed. A thin metal pipe ran between the two structures, connecting them, and each one had a door on the front. As if to complete the chaotic picture, a .4 was zipping all around the room. As soon as it noticed the group, however, it flew in front of them, still moving constantly. And then, nobody could have expected what happened next.

It spoke to them.

"Oh, hey there, I'm glad someone's here," the .4 seemed to say in the same female voice they had heard earlier. "I need some help."

"I think I need some professional help," muttered Orange. "It sounded like that .4 was talking to us."

"I am," the .4 insisted. "I'm not a Pokémon. I'm Meg Abytte. I was conducting an experiment in teleportation, and I got combined with my .4 by accident. Please, can't one of you help me?"

"Sure, I'll help," Jimmy said, stepping forward. "My name's Jimmy, what do I have to do?" he asked.

"OK, I'm going to enter the chamber on the right," explained the .4. "Once I do that, you go to my computer over there and activate the teleporter. That should do the trick, OK?"

"Got it," nodded Jimmy. The .4 floated over to the door of the steel chamber on the right side of the room, and pushed at it. It didn't budge.

"Um, Miss Abytte, should I-?" began Jimmy.

"No matter," the .4 replied. "I've always wanted to try this anyway. TM28!"

The .4 backed up and let off a minor explosion. It was just enough to force the door open. It then floated into the chamber and pushed the door closed again. Jimmy walked over to a wooden table in front of the left chamber. On the screen, there was a large red button labeled "Activate Teleportation System". Jimmy took the computer mouse and clicked the button. Immediately, a humming noise could be heard from the steel device in the back of the room, as something seemed to be transferred from right to left. Then, the door to the left chamber opened up, and a young woman walked out, sighing in relief. She looked to be about Violet's age, if not a year or two older, and had waist-length wavy brown hair.

"Oh, thank you so much," she said as she walked over to Jimmy, who seemed incapable of forming a coherent response; he was too busy staring at Meg, mouth slightly agape. "Your name is Jimmy, you said, right?"

"Uh... Wha... Oh! Oh, yeah, yes, my name's Jimmy. Jimmy Errorcode," Jimmy replied, seeming to snap out of it, though he was blushing once again. "It's... it's a pleasure to... to meet you, Miss Abytte. Oh, yes, these are my friends, uh... um..."

"I'm Violet Scramble," Violet said, rolling her eyes at Jimmy. "This is Orange McPixel and this is Red Vershunn.

"Uh... hi..." murmured Orange. Violet turned to look at Orange, to discover that he was also staring at Meg, mouth slightly agape. Irritated by this, Violet snapped her fingers in Orange's face. When this failed to yield results, she instead opted to stomp on his foot. That snapped him out of it.

As Orange hopped around, clutching his afflicted foot and holding back what was sure to be a whole host of expletives, Red shook Meg's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said.

"Nice to meet all of you," smiled Meg. "So, I'm guessing you're all Trainers?"

"We are," replied Violet. "I'm afraid I haven't used your storage system yet, though. I only have four Pokémon."

"Nor have I," confessed Red. "Only three Pokémon."

Orange said nothing, clearly not trusting himself to not start cursing over his injured foot, but shook his head and shrugged, as if to say that he hasn't used the PC Storage System either.

"I haven't either," admitted Jimmy. "I only have three. This Weedle on my shoulder, plus a Venonat and a Scyther."

"Oh, a Venonat!" Meg exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Those are so cute, may I see it?"

"Sure!" Jimmy said as he took out a Poké Ball and tossed it straight up. The ball split open, unleashing Jimmy's Venonat into the room. Meg let out a little squeal of delight, and scooped the Venonat into her arms and hugged it.

"Oh, Venonat are so cuuute," she sighed.

"Veno veno nat," said Venonat, seeming to enjoy the attention.

"Wow," remarked Jimmy. "It's... it's not often I meet a girl who appreciates Bug Pokémon. Most of the ones I've met are creeped out by Bug-types. And not just girls, either, Orange here is downright afraid of them."

"OH, SHUT UP!" roared Orange.

"Oh, I love Bug-types," Meg said as she turned her attention to the Weedle on Jimmy's shoulder and started to stroke its back with her index finger. Immediately, the Weedle gave a contented sigh and relaxed. "Venonat's my favorite, but I love them all."

"You... you like... all... Bug-types..." Jimmy murmured, as if not daring to believe this.

"Oh, yes," Meg said, addressing her guests. "I want to thank you all for helping me out."

"Oh, well, it was really just Jimmy," Violet replied modestly.

"Vi, shut up, we might be getting free stuff," hissed Orange, earning himself a reproving glare from Violet.

"No, don't worry about it," smiled Meg as she produced three strips of cardboard from the pocket of her shorts. "I had won three tickets for the S.S. Nean cruise ship, but I get seasick really easily. The only thing is, I only have the three tickets, and there are four of you..."

"Actually, you can give them to Red, Orange and Violet," said Jimmy. "I, um... Miss Abytte..."

"Please, call me Meg," said Meg.

"...Meg... I was wondering if maybe... I could stay here for a while? Help you with anything you might need help with? I mean, I'm not very knowledgeable about computers, but I'd be... willing to learn..."

"You know, I've been meaning to take on an assistant," said Meg thoughtfully. "And, well, you are really nice, so sure, I'd have no problem with you staying here." She then handed the tickets to Orange, Violet, and Red.

"Thanks," said Red. "Just one question- where does the S.S. Nean dock, anyway?"

"She makes port in Miliovern once a year," replied Meg. "She stays in port for about a week before setting sail again, and during that week, the crew hosts a party for Pokémon Trainers."

"A party?" Orange repeated, his interest piqued. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" He grabbed Violet and Red's arms and practically dragged them out the door, giving them barely two seconds to hastily say good-bye to Meg and Jimmy.

Once they were out the door, Violet wrenched her arm free of Orange's grip. "OK, what the hell was that?" she demanded.

"What? What was what?" asked Orange defensively.

"You know perfectly well what was what," said Violet. "You were staring at her stupidly, mouth agape and everything."

"I was not," scoffed Orange.

"Yes you were."

"No I wasn't."

"Yes you were."

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were"

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was not!'

"Were not!"

"Was too!"

"Were not!"

"Was too!"

"Were not!"

"Yes, I was!" Orange exclaimed defiantly. "I was staring at Meg like a horny, drooling idiot, and don't you dare tell me otherwise!"

"OK," smirked Violet as she calmly proceeded to walk down a narrow path labeled as a shortcut back to Ruceelna City. Orange and Red followed, the former somewhat confused as to what exactly happened. Then a look of dawning comprehension came over his face.

"Hey, wait a minute!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry, Orange, you already admitted to it," chuckled Violet.

"You tricked me into saying that!"

"Oh, did I?" asked Violet. "I was under the impression I just tricked you into saying you were staring at Meg. From where I stand, that part about being a 'horny, drooling idiot' was all you."

"RRRRRGH!" replied Orange through gritted teeth, which only made Violet laugh in a self-satisfied way. Even Red chuckled a little bit, which fortunately went unnoticed by Orange.

About fifteen minutes and one jump off of an eight-foot ledge later, the trio arrived back in Ruceelna City.

"It's getting late," Violet remarked. Indeed, it was starting to get dark. "I think we should go to the Pokémon Center for dinner, and then turn in for the night."

"I'm all for that," Orange nodded. "Only, I'd like us to go to the Pokémart first, cash in that Nugget we won. Red, you still got it?"

"Right here," Red responded as he pulled the solid gold sphere out of his backpack.

"Oh, come on, Red," sighed Violet. "That can wait until tomorrow."

"Oh, Tauros crap," snapped Orange. "We got plenty of time!"

Red looked back and forth between Violet and Orange, both of whom seemed to be awaiting his decision. Red gulped. He didn't like being put in this position.

"Well..." he began. "I mean... Uh... I mean, does it really matter, either way? Orange, I mean, what would be so bad about waiting until morning?"

"Hmph. Nothing, I guess," Orange grunted, though he looked distinctly disgruntled at Red's decision. "Sure, take her side," he added in an undertone as they headed towards the Pokémon Center.

"I don't want to take sides!" Red whispered indignantly. "No matter what I decided, I'd have gotten one of you pissed at me, and I don't want to do that! You're both my friends, I don't want to have to take sides against either one of you!"

"So why'd you take her side?" demanded Orange.

"I only intended it as an example," replied Red. "Violet's the one who ran with it."

Orange said nothing, though this answer seemed to satisfy him.

Once they reached the Pokémon Center, they entered the cafeteria and ordered dinner. Violet had an even number salad, triggering Orange's usual remarks about her being an evenetarian; Red had a seven burger with eight sauce; Orange had a plate of fried nines, much to Violet's exasperation.

"Fried nines again, Orange?" groaned Violet. "One of these days you're gonna wake up, and you'll have turned into a nine."

"Oh, quit nagging," said Orange. "Nothing wrong with having my favorite food."

"Orange, I swear, if we were married, I would put poison in your coffee." Violet sighed.

"Violet, I swear, if we were married, I'd drink it," Orange retorted.

The meal was pretty quiet after that. Once the center's Chansey had scanned their Pokédexes for identification purposes, the trio asked the nurse for a room, and were able to get the same room they had the previous night. Before going to sleep, Red made sure to take the earplugs Violet had given him and put them in his ears. Sure enough, even though Orange fell asleep first, even though the cacophony his mouth was producing was not unlike that of heavy machinery, Red had no problem getting to sleep, hearing only total silence.

The next morning, Red found himself being awoken, not by Orange's snores as he was starting to get used to, but by Orange yanking the sheets off of him.

"C'mon, Red, get up!" he exclaimed once Red groggily removed his earplugs. "Breakfast! Come on!"

Red got out of his bed and sluggishly got dressed. By the time the trio went for breakfast, he was much more awake and alert, and the fried nines and four juice he had for breakfast helped even more. Once they left the Pokémon Center, Orange spoke up.

"OK, after we hit the Pokémart, where to?" he asked.

"Well, we got in a good amount of training," Violet said. "Maybe we should head for Fansfor City now."

"But wait, what about the S.S. Nean?" asked Red. "Doesn't she set sail at the end of the week? If we're gonna make it to the party, shouldn't that be our first priority?"

"I'd have thought you'd want to get through the region quickly," Violet remarked. "Get to Bincanar Island faster and all that."

Red shrugged. "I do want some answers, but I'm starting to like Tanko. I wouldn't mind making a couple of detours."

"I'm all for that!" declared Orange. "Besides, a ship full of Pokémon Trainers can only mean one thing- battles! No such thing as too much training, am I right?"

"You got a point," conceded Violet. "OK, let's head for Miliovern City first."

"Second," Orange said suddenly. "First, the Pokémart."

"Fine," sighed Violet. With that, Orange led the way down a number of streets until they reached a building constructed entirely out of orange traffic cones, sheet metal, and glue sticks. A wooden sign was attached to the wall, with "Pokémart" painted on it in large red letters.

"I think we've arrived," said Orange.

"Yeah, you think?" said Violet sarcastically as she led the way in through a door made of sheet metal and duct tape.

The inside of the Pokémart was small and cluttered. Entire shelves of Poké Balls and Potions made navigation somewhat difficult. In one corner, a balding man was leaning on a wooden counter.

"Welcome to the Ruceelna City Pokémart," he said in a bored voice that implied he had said this many times before. "Are you buying or selling?"

"Selling," replied Red as he took the Nugget out of his backpack. The man took the golden sphere and eyed it from multiple angles, as if uncertain as to its authenticity. Finally, he took an odd scanning device from behind the counter and pointed i t at the Nugget. It hummed for a second, then made a dinging noise. Seemingly satisfied with this, the man paid Red 6,000 Pokédollars for the Nugget.

"Wow, 6,000!" Red whispered as they exited the Pokémart. They didn't have any of that 6,000 on them anymore- the three had unanimously decided to use the profits to replenish their dwindling Poké Ball supplies. "I don't think Nuggets sell for that much back in Kanto."

"Hey, it bought us more Poké Balls," shrugged Orange. "Can't complain about that. I had no idea I was down to just one! What would I have done if that one had failed? I mean, when a Poké Ball fails to catch a Pokémon-"

"We know, Orange, it explodes," sighed Violet.

"So, which way to Miliovern City?" asked Red.

"Should be south of here," Orange replied. "We'll have to pass through Fansfor to get there, though."

"And we can't just swing by the Gym and challenge the leader while we're passing through because...?" asked Red.

"...Huh," Orange muttered. "I guess we can."

Violet facepalmed.

Half an hour of walking later, the trio had left Ruceelna City, and very quickly found themselves facing a large mass of skyscrapers that seemed to be made up of rocks, pieces of fencing, and tree limbs, complete with leaves. Barring their way into the city was a tall fence made of sheet metal, fives, and nines, and a large building made of wooden planks and soda cans. An open doorway faced the group, and through it they could see that the building would lead them directly into Fansfor City. Orange led the way inside-

"Oh, no, no, no, you do not," came a voice. As one, the trio turned to their left, where they saw a rather pudgy security guard sitting behind a counter. "Sorry, road's closed."

"Why?" asked Orange.

"Because I'm hungry," the guard answered.

"So wait," Red frowned. "You're not letting us into Fansfor City because you're hungry?"

"That about sums it up, yeah," the guard replied.

"Come on!" whined Orange. "We gotta get through Fansfor City to get to Miliovern!"

"Take the bridge," suggested the security guard. "There's a bridge that takes you straight across Fansfor."

Orange stormed out of the gatehouse, grumbling audibly and saying rather unkind things about the security guard's mother. Reluctantly, Violet and Red followed.

Outside the gatehouse, Red now noticed a wooden staircase to his left, which seemed to lead to a metal walkway. Violet led the way up the stairs, but once they got to the top, and were faced with the prospect of crossing the relatively narrow bridge many feet above a large, bustling city, Violet hesitated. The bridge had handrails made out of plastic water bottles, so the risk of falling was minimal.

"Violet, what's wrong?" asked Red.

"N-nothing," Violet said. "It's just... a little high up, isn't it?"

"Just close your eyes," Red suggested. "You're not gonna fall, you know we wouldn't let that happen."

"Yeah... Yeah..." Violet replied. She gulped, then squeezed her eyes shut and began to make her way slowly across the bridge. Orange was not pleased with this slow pace, and made a point of miming the action of checking a nonexistent watch every couple of seconds. Red ignored him, and since Violet kept her eyes shut, she had to ignore him as well.

Ten minutes later, they had crossed the bridge. Violet raced down the staircase, breathing heavily, and once they were all back on the ground, she held onto Red for support.

"I'm guessing you don't like heights too much, Violet?" asked Red.

"N-not really," sighed Violet.

"And you mock me for my fear of bugs," Orange smirked.

"Hey, a fear of heights is a legitimate thing!" snapped Violet. "You're scared of stuff like Caterpie and Metapod and Paras!"

"And Beedrill, and Scyther, and Z4," Orange shot back defensively.

"Oh, please, you're scared of any Bug-type and you know it," said Violet.

"Not any Bug-type!" said Orange. "You don't see me cowering in fear of your Butterfree, do you? Those are OK!"

Violet said nothing more at this. Once she stopped holding onto Red, they continued walking. A swarm of .4 flew overhead, and several Pidgey could be seen pecking at a small patch of grass. Then, they all stopped short, for a large Pokémon was crossing the concrete/water/seven-paved road, and was taking its sweet time doing so. It walked on a pair of skinny legs tipped with bird feet. Its torso was spherical and covered in brown feathers. From the top it sported not one, but two long, black necks, each one tipped with a brown, spherical head. Each head sported a pair of beady, black eyes, and a large, yellow beak.

"Wow, a Doduo!" Red exclaimed, holding out his Pokédex.

"Doduo, the Twin Bird Pokémon," said Red's Pokédex. "Doduo is more skilled at running than flying. It runs at speeds up to 60 miles per hour and leaves giant footprints."

"Pretty cool," remarked Orange. He considered going for a Poké Ball, but Red had beaten him to it.

"Go, Paras!" Red called as he launched a red-and-white sphere, unleashing the Bug/Grass-type. This caught the Doduo's attention, and made both heads turn to face it.

Doduo made the first move, Both heads lowered, and the whole thing charged forward.

"Paras, Stun Spore!" Red ordered.

"Paaaaraaaas!" exclaimed Paras as it unleashed a yellow dust from its mushrooms. Doduo dashed right into the yellow cloud and immediately toppled to the ground, the Stun Spore having successfully stopped the Skull Bash.

"OK, Paras, now use Scratch!" commanded Red.

"Paras par!" Paras replied as it scuttled towards Doduo and took a great swipe at its spherical torso, causing both heads to squawk in pain. Then the heads turned to face Paras and both began to peck at it mercilessly.

"That's Doduo's Fury Attack," stated Violet.

"Paras!" called Red, just as his Pokémon started to glow. Orange slowly backed up and hid behind Violet as the glow faded, revealing Paras to have evolved. What now stood in Paras's place sported one giant mushroom covering its entire back. It was slightly bigger than Paras had been, but other than that and the mushroom, it was relatively unchanged.

"Parasect, the Mushroom Pokémon, and the evolved form of Paras," droned Red's Pokédex. "Parasect spreads a variety of spores from the mushroom on its back. It prefers damp spaces."

"Cool," grinned Red. Then he noticed something as the Pokédex displayed the list of Parasect's attacks. "Hey, guys, what is it with Pokémon learning new moves just after evolving, anyway? It always seems to happen."

Orange and Violet shrugged. "No idea," said Violet. "So Parasect learned something new?"

"Looks like it," grinned Red. "Use Spore!"

"Sect!" hissed Parasect as it unleashed a plume of blue dust from beneath its giant mushroom. Immediately, Doduo slumped to the ground, both heads asleep. Red took the cue at once, and produced an empty Poké Ball from his backpack.

"Poké Ball, go!" Red shouted as he hurled the sphere. Parasect scuttled out of the way as the ball made contact with Doduo, turned it into red energy, and sucked it in. The ball fell to the ground and wobbled back and forth for several tense seconds, before falling still.

"Nice," grinned Orange as Red scooped up the ball.

"Yeah!" Red exclaimed. "I did it, Doduo is mine!"

"Para Parasect!" added Parasect before Red called it back into its Poké Ball.


	16. Family Feud Reunion

"Doduo, Skull Bash!"

"Spearow, Take Down!"

Spearow dove down and flew low to the ground as it streaked towards Doduo, who was also charging at its adversary, heads lowered. Both birds collided and were thrown backwards by the attacks they had been subjected to.

"Let's do it, Spearow! Peck attack!" ordered Orange.

"Doduo, use your own Peck!" called Red.

"Do do!"cawed Doduo's heads as it charged at Spearow once more. Spearow met it in the middle and they proceeded to peck at each other. Doduo got the upper hand fairly quickly; having two heads gave it a slight advantage.

"Don't give in, Spearow, Razor Wind!" shouted Orange.

"Whirlwind now!" Red commanded.

Spearow started flapping its wings, but Doduo cawed loudly, and large amounts of wind were expelled from their beaks, blowing Spearow back. As the Tiny Bird Pokémon struggled to stay steady in the turbulent wind, it started to glow and change shape!

"Aw, yeah!" Orange exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. "I had a feeling this was coming!" Sure enough, as the glow faded, Spearow was no more. In its place, a larger bird with a much more impressive wingspan hovered, having no problem going up against Doduo's Whirlwind. It had a longer, sharper beak to rival either one of Doduo's, and its entire body was covered in light brown plumage. Atop its head was a small, spiky red crest.

"Feeeeeaaaaaroooowwww!" it cawed loudly.

"Fearow, the Beak Pokémon, and the evolved form of Spearow," droned Orange's Pokédex. "Fearow's large and magnificent wings allow it to keep aloft without ever having to land or rest."

"Awesome!" Orange exclaimed. "Fearow, let's do it! Fury Attack!"

"Roooowwww!" Fearow screeched as it dive-bombed Doduo, giving it zero time to react before striking with its beak repeatedly.

"Come on, Doduo, use your own... Fury... Attack," Red said weakly as his Doduo fell to the ground and fainted.

"OK, Doduo is unable to battle, so Orange and Fearow win!" declared Violet from the sidelines.

"Doduo, return," Red sighed as he held out the Poké Ball, returning the Twin Bird Pokémon to it.

"Nice job, Fearow," Orange exclaimed as he withdrew his own Pokémon.

"That was pretty good," Violet said to both Orange and Red. "Both of you."

"Thanks," replied Red.

"OK, let's get going, Miliovern isn't much farther ahead!" Orange exclaimed excitedly.

"Orange, we got all day," sighed Red. "What's the rush?"

"He used to live in Miliovern before his family moved to Talpel," explained Violet. "When I first met him, he was... really unhappy about the move, to say the least."

"Oh, I handled it fine," Orange said dismissively.

"Uh huh," Violet smirked. "I seem to recall you ordering your mother's pet Pikachu to blow them all back to Miliovern with ThunderShock."

Orange's face reddened. "OK, maybe I took it a little hard."

"A little?" Violet repeated skeptically. "The first night you were there, I seem to recall you screaming throughout the entire night, about how you'd rather die than sleep in a strange house or something like that?"

"I was five!" Orange exclaimed. He then wheeled around and proceeded to march down the path, intent on reaching Miliovern City.

"Hey, Violet, I was wondering," said Red, "How did you and Orange become friends, anyway? I mean, if he was still that annoying back then... I dunno, it just got me wondering."

Violet sighed as she thought back. "Well, here's what happened..." she began.

Nine years ago...

A five-year-old girl was wandering down the streets of Talpel Town. She wore a dark purple jacket, and her long black hair was put in a ponytail. And she was bored. Violet had a tendency to be somewhat bossy, so not many other kids her age liked to play with her. In her boredom, she hadn't noticed that she was now wandering an alley between two large buildings. At least, not until a trio of adults surrounded her, each one clad in identical purple uniforms.

"Well, well, well," sneered one of them. "Little girls aren't supposed to interfere with grown-up business."

"Get out of my way," snapped five-year-old Violet. "I don't care about your grown-up business."

"Oooh, she's a fresh one," chuckled another one of the men. "You know what, little girl? I think it's time Team Error taught you some respect!" At this, each of them took out a Poké Ball. Now, Violet looked worried. The three men prepared to throw the balls, when-

"Hey! Team Error! Suck voltage!" came a shrill yell in a voice Violet had heard many times before. "Pikachu, ThunderShock!"

The Team Error grunts spun around to spot a five-year-old redheaded boy standing at the other end of the alley. More importantly, they also spotted the small, yellow Pokémon standing with him. And even more importantly, they also noticed the sparks of electricity crackling from its red cheeks.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, wait-" they began.

"Pikaaaa... CHUUUUUU!" bellowed the Pikachu as the grunts lit up with electricity, then collapsed in a heap. Wasting no time, Violet ran around them and stopped only when she was next to the boy.

"Hey, you OK?" asked Orange. "Those guys are bad news!"

Violet sniffed. "I didn't ask to be saved."

"I didn't say you had a choice in the matter," retorted Orange. "I didn't see you doing anything to stop them. I've seen you around here before, we're neighbors."

"I know," said Violet. "I heard you screaming all night last week."

"I didn't want to move here," said Orange. "We used to live in Miliovern City, but we moved here last week. I'm Orange McPixel."

"I'm Violet Scramble. So is this your Pikachu?" asked Violet as she crouched down to scratch the Electric-type behind the ears.

"Nah, Pikachu here is a family pet," replied Orange as Pikachu sighed contentedly, pleased with the attention. "I'm not old enough to own my own Pokémon yet, but when I am, I'm gonna become a Pokémon Trainer!"

"Hey, me too!" Violet exclaimed. "Only I'll be better than you!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?!"

"Orange?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

A somewhat lengthy silence followed this. After about a minute of watching the feebly stirring Team Error grunts, Orange spoke up again.

"So, wanna play?"

"OK."

The two walked off, Pikachu following close behind, leaving the Team Error grunts as they tried to get to their feet, muttering various words that wouldn't have been appropriate for the two five-year-olds to hear.

"Huh," remarked Red. "So basically, you two were the only ones in town who could put up with each other?"

"I guess so," shrugged Violet. "Nobody else ever wanted to play with Orange because he was so annoying, and I used to be rather bossy, so that didn't help my case much either."

"So, why is Orange so scared of Bug-types, anyway?" Red asked quietly. At this, Violet smirked.

"Well, when he was six-" she began.

"VIOLET! I SWEAR TO MEW, IF YOU TELL HIM-!" Orange exclaimed suddenly, despite him being a good distance in front of Violet and Red, and thus seemingly out of earshot.

"How did he _do_ that?" Red wondered out loud.

After another fifteen minutes of walking, Orange came to a stop, as they approached the top of a small hill. From there, they could see a sprawling city before them, and on the other side, the vast expanse of the sea.

"We made it!" Orange exclaimed. "Miliovern City! Just like I remembered it!"

"Well then," said Red, "I say we hit up the Pokémon Center first. Doduo could use a bit of a rest after that battle."

"Yeah, Fearow too," stated Orange. "Though I doubt we'll be using either one of them against the Miliovern Gym Leader."

"Why?" asked Violet. After a short pause, she sighed, "You know what type the Gym Leader uses, don't you?"

"Hey, I used to live here, what do you expect?" said Orange. "The Gym Leader's my cousin, she uses Electric-types."

Red and Violet exchanged somewhat surprised glances at this news. Neither one of them had guessed that Orange would be related to the Gym Leader.

Once they reached the Pokémon Center, the nurse was more than glad to treat everybody's Pokémon. A mere half hour later, she pronounced them all to be fighting fit.

"OK, let's go!" Orange exclaimed. "Miliovern Gym! Let's move!"

"Wait, what about the S.S. Nean?" asked Red. "When does she set sail?"

"Not until tomorrow night," Orange said dismissively. "We can get in our Gym battles today and still have all day tomorrow to party on the ship."

"It's getting a little late," Violet observed. "Do you really think we'll have time for all three of us to battle?"

"Sure, I don't see why not," said Orange. Without waiting for an answer, he led the way down the path (which seemed to be made of duct tape and pairs of sunglasses) to a large structure seemingly built entirely out of toothpicks, copper piping, and rubber bands.

"Let me guess- Miliovern Gym?" asked Red.

"Never thought I'd be back here," grinned Orange as he pushed his way through the double doors. Violet and Red followed him.

The interior of the Miliovern Gym was brightly lit. At the other end of the usual dirt battlefield stood a woman who looked slightly older than Orange, with fiery red hair that came down nearly to her waist.

"Orange!" she exclaimed. "Well, well, I didn't expect to see you here. So, you gonna introduce me to your friends?"

"Yep!" Orange stated. "Electra, this is Red Vershunn, and this is Violet Scramble. Vi, Red, this is my cousin, Electra McPixel, Gym Leader of Miliovern City."

"So, I'm guessing you're all here to battle me?" Electra asked, a confident smirk on her face.

"We are," Violet confirmed.

"Alright, but I think I want to battle my little cousin, first," said Electra. "He was always going on about how he'd be the best Pokémon Trainer in McPixel family history, so I'd like to see how he does."

"Let's do it!" Orange exclaimed excitedly as he took his position at the edge of the battlefield, having already taken a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it.

Electra stepped forward, taking one of her own Poké Balls. "Three Pokémon each," she stated. "How's that sound?"

"Fine by me!" Orange replied. "Let's go!"

In response, Electra smirked as she threw her Poké Ball. "Voltorb! Go!" she shouted.

In a flash of light, what appeared to be an overgrown Poké Ball with eyes instead of a button materialized on the battlefield. Orange nodded, apparently recognizing the species, but Violet was the one who took out her Pokédex.

"Voltorb, the Ball Pokémon," it droned. "Often found in power plants. It has zapped many people due to its resemblance to a Poké Ball."

Orange heaved his Poké Ball. "Nidoking! Go!" he shouted.

The ball opened up in midair, unleashing the monstrous, purple form of Orange's Nidoking. Electra looked mildly impressed, but not too worried.

"Let's get started!" she declared. "Voltorb, use Swift!"

"Voltorb," droned Voltorb in a monotonous mechanical voice as a barrage of glowing stars flew forth from its body. Nidoking tried to dodge them, but the stars changed course easily and slammed into the Poison/Ground-type.

"That's nothing!" scoffed Orange. "Nidoking! Quick Attack!"

Nidoking roared as it speedily dashed at Voltorb, slamming the Ball Pokémon backwards before Electra had any time to react.

"Voltorb, Rage attack!" she shouted.

"Voltorb, Voltorb," Voltorb droned menacingly, its eyes seeming to show more and more anger as its entire body started shaking. Within seconds, Voltorb sped forwards, and rolled into Nidoking.

"Rolling Kick now!" Orange ordered.

Nidoking roared again as it expertly delivered a roundhouse kick, sending Voltorb flying. As it crashed to the ground, though, Voltorb only seemed to be even more angry than before, and without waiting for orders, it slammed into Nidoking again, this time with more force.

"Smart move on Orange's part, using Nidoking," Red remarked. "Electric moves won't work on it."

"Yeah, but the way this is going, it doesn't seem to matter to Voltorb," Violet frowned as Nidoking blasted Voltorb with Water Gun, only to be met with another blow from the enraged sphere. "When a Pokémon uses Rage, it won't stop the attack until the fight is done, and it gets more powerful with each hit it takes."

"Nidoking! Aurora Beam!" Orange bellowed.

"Rage once more, Voltorb!" Electra ordered.

Voltorb lunged at Nidoking once again, but instead met with a rainbow-colored ray of light fired from Nidoking's horn.

"Vol... torb..." groaned Voltorb as it fought to get through the Ice-type move. Ultimately, Nidoking won out; Voltorb collapsed to the floor and ceased movement.

"All right!" Orange exclaimed as Electra withdrew Voltorb. Violet, however, noticed that Nidoking was breathing rather heavily.

"Orange, you might want to call Nidoking back for now," she advised him. "It's looking pretty tired."

"Huh... good point," conceded Orange as Electra prepared a second Poké Ball.

"Go, Magnemite!" she exclaimed as she threw the ball, unleashing what appeared to be a shiny, silver orb into the air. A single eye was visible on this orb as it hovered in midair. Three screws were inserted into the orb- two below its eye, and one on the very top of the orb. From either side of the orb there was attached a large Ponytashoe magnet.

"Magnemite, the Magnet Pokémon," said Violet's Pokédex. "Uses antigravity to stay suspended. Appears without warning and uses Thunder Wave and similar moves."

"OK, Nidoking, take a rest!" Orange declared as he held out Nidoking's Poké Ball, allowing the red beam to recall the ball's occupant. Once Nidoking had been withdrawn, Orange threw another ball. "I choose you, A!"

In a flash of light, Orange's A materialized. It floated in midair, roughly level with Magnemite.

"An A, pretty impressive, those don't appear very often," Electra observed.

"Not too shabby, huh?" Orange grinned proudly. "Now let's get going so we can beat you already."

"Magnemite, ThunderShock!" ordered Electra.

"A, Transform!" called Orange.

As Magnemite crackled with electricity, A glowed and changed shape, shrinking down slightly. Once the glowing ceased, there now floated two Magnemite on the field. Electra's Magnemite launched a sizzling blast of lightning at A, but in its Transformed state, the Speed Demon Pokémon took the attack with little effect.

"A, use your own ThunderShock!" Orange shouted.

A squeaked loudly as it let off an identical electrical blast. Magnemite, as could be expected, endured the move easily.

"Magnemite, use your Double-Edge!" ordered Electra.

"A, Supersonic!" said Orange.

Magnemite charged forward, but was stopped short as A let off a barrage of visible soundwaves, stopping the Magnet Pokémon where it hovered. After a moment, Magnemite began to float about erratically, its eye not focusing on anything.

"It's confused!" Orange exclaimed. "A, Thunder Wave now!"

A gave a loud squeal as it fired off a jolt of electricity at Magnemite. This time, the electricity continued to crackle all around Magnemite after the attack had ended, and Magnemite found itself floating closer to the floor.

"All right, A, Double-Edge now!" Orange ordered.

"Magnemite, Reflect!" called Electra.

In spite of the confusion and paralysis, Magnemite managed to create a shimmering wall of light in front of it, off which A bounced harmlessly. Around that point, the confusion seemed to wear off, though Magnemite was clearly still paralyzed.

"A, Double-Edge again!" Orange exclaimed.

"Magnemite, Thunderbolt!" ordered Electra.

A charged forward once again, but the real Magnemite let loose a massive bolt of electricity, stopping A in its tracks. Once the attack was finished, A collapsed to the floor, unmoving.

"WHAT?!" Orange exclaimed as A's Transform wore off, the Normal/Normal-type reverting to its usual form. "Rrrgh... A, return now!" he snapped, holding out the Poké Ball. Once A was back in its ball, Orange threw a third Poké Ball. "Let's go, .4!"

The ball split open, unleashing the impossibly hyperactive .4 into the air, where it made two or three laps around the entire battlefield in about two seconds, then floated in front of Orange, practically quivering with excitement.

"Magnemite, Thunderbolt it!" Electra exclaimed.

".4, TM05 now!" Orange ordered.

"Magnemiiiiiite," droned Magnemite as it fired off another Thunderbolt. .4, however, ducked beneath it, then charged towards Magnemite, only to pull off at the last second and vanish into thin air.

"Now use TM28!" Orange shouted.

"EEEEEEEEEEE!" shrieked .4 as the air behind Magnemite exploded, sending the Electric-type crashing to the floor. Seizing its chance, .4, who had reappeared, began flying in circles around Magnemite, letting off multiple minor explosions in rapid succession. Once it was done, it was clear that Magnemite wasn't going to make any more effort to get back up.

"Impressive. Very impressive," nodded Electra as she withdrew Magnemite. "But the fun's just beginning."

"Ohhhh, crap," Orange muttered as a smirk made its way onto Electra's face. "If she's using what I think she's using..."

"Electabuzz, let's go!" shouted Electra as she threw a Poké Ball. Immediately, a human-shaped creature appeared, black stripes covering a large portion of its bright yellow body. Sparks of electricity crackled between the horns on its head, its hands were clenched into fists, and its tail whipped back and forth.

"Ohhhh, crap," repeated Orange as Violet held her Pokédex out.

"Electabuzz, the Electric Pokémon," the machine stated. "Found near power plants, where they feed on electricity. Notorious for causing major power outages."

"Not good, I'm guessing?" said Red.

"Electabuzz is her strongest Pokémon," Orange whispered. "It's nearly unstoppable."

"You can do it, Orange," Violet said encouragingly. "You have more Pokémon still able to battle, and one of them has the type advantage."

"Yeah... yeah, you're right!" Orange exclaimed, his usual grin returning at full force. "OK! .4, use your TM28 attack!"

"Electabuzz, Teleport!" Electra exclaimed.

As .4 gibbered incoherently and blew up, Electabuzz vanished into thin air, only to reappear several yards off to the left, well out of the way of the attack.

".4, again!" Orange ordered.

"Electabuzz, Mega Punch!" yelled Electra.

Electabuzz growled loudly as it slammed its fist into the oncoming .4, sending it flying backwards. The attack seemed to have little effect, however, for .4 came right back and exploded in Electabuzz's face.

"Yes!" Orange exclaimed. However, as the dust settled, Electabuzz could be seen, more or less unscathed, hiding behind a shimmering wall of light.

"Light Screen?!" Orange whined. "OH, COME ON! .4, let's end this! TM09!"

.4 trilled loudly as it rose high into the air and caught fire. Then it dove down towards Electabuzz, and a violent explosion ensued. Electabuzz had dove out of the attack's path, but wound up caught up in the blast anyway. Unfortunately, while Electabuzz was able to get back up, .4 was not so fortunate.

".4, return!" he shouted as he held .4's ball in one hand and threw another one with his other hand. "Nidoking, go!"

In a flash of light, Nidoking was back out onto the battlefield. It roared loudly, stomped the battlefield, and glared across the battlefield at its foe, who glared right back.

"Let's end this here and now!" Orange exclaimed. "Nidoking, Quick Attack!"

"Electabuzz, use your own Quick Attack!" Electra shouted.

Both Nidoking and Electabuzz tore across the battlefield, colliding at high speeds, bouncing off each other. As they slowly got back up, Electra grinned evilly.

"Let's end this here and now," she said, mockingly repeating Orange's earlier words. "Electabuzz... Psychic."

Electabuzz's body took on a blue aura, and a blast of blue light came off of it, striking Nidoking, seeming to hurt it a lot. When the light faded, Nidoking collapsed to the floor and did not move.

"Wha... wha..." Orange stammered as the reality of what just happened started to sink in. Though Nidoking was now feebly stirring, it was clearly in no fit shape to battle any further.

"Not a bad match, cousin," said Electra as she withdrew Electabuzz. "But what say you toughen your Pokemon up a little more, hmm? I'd love to take on your friends, only this is around the time I close up the Gym for the night."

"I told you we wouldn't have time for all three of us," said Violet. Orange didn't answer, still seemingly stunned at the battle's outcome as he withdrew Nidoking.

"Orange, you should listen to your girlfriend there," said Electra.

"My WHAT?!" Orange exclaimed, seeming to snap out of it. "What- you think she- and I- WHAT?!"

Electra giggled, pleased at this reaction. "Well, I think you better get going to the Pokémon Center. Great seeing you again, Orange."

"Yeah, yeah," Orange grumbled as he led the way out of the Gym. Though he had clearly snapped out of his funk, the look in his eyes betrayed the fact that he was still unable to believe that he had actually lost.


	17. Battle Aboard The SS Nean

"I lost."

"Orange-"

"I lost."

"Orange, will you-"

"I lost."

"OK, Orange-"

"I lost."

"Orange-"

"I lost."

"ORANGE!" Violet shouted. This snapped Orange out of it.

The trio was back in the Miliovern Pokémon Center, in the room they had been given for the night. Orange hadn't touched much of his food back at dinner (in spite of Violet having ordered fried nines for him), and now he would only sit on his bed and stare off into space, seemingly incapable of processing the fact that he lost a Pokémon battle.

"OK. We get it, Orange. You lost," Violet said impatiently. "Every trainer loses a battle at some time. Heck, you lost to me back in Ivadirin City, remember?"

"That was different," Orange sighed. "That was just a practice battle to toughen up .4 and Chompy. They were both brand new, .4 was freshly caught, and you had just gotten Chompy, so the trainers' skills didn't come into play as much as in a real Gym battle. Not only that, Electra never really thought I'd be any good as a trainer. I just... I wanted to prove her wrong."

"Well, look," said Red, "Tomorrow we'll be on the S.S. Nean, at a party with tons of other trainers, we can toughen up our Pokémon there, and then you can battle her again, OK?"

"Yeah... I guess so," Orange sighed. Violet glanced at him, a hint of concern showing on her face in place of her usual glare.

Not long after this, the trio went off to sleep. Or at least, it seemed that way; had Red not put in his earplugs (which was starting to become a habit now with him), he might have noticed a distinct lack of earsplitting snoring.

Next morning, Red woke up and removed his earplugs to find Orange's snoring in full force. He was about to hit Orange over the head with his pillow, but Violet woke up at that moment and beat him to it.

"Zzzzz-mmph! Gah! Wha?!" Orange spluttered as he leapt out of his bed, awoken by Violet's pillow. "Oh, come on, Vi, what was that for?"

"Good morning to you, too," Violet yawned as she removed her earplugs. "C'mon, get dressed, you two, we want to get in as much time on the S.S. Nean as we can before tonight, right?"

"Right!" Red declared.

"Yeah, right, sure," Orange nodded, though without his heart in it.

Once they were all dressed and had eaten their breakfast (Orange had his usual fried nines, and this time ate quite a bit more than he had the night before; Violet had a glass of eight juice; Red had several slices of zero toast with a small side of fried nines), the trio left the Pokémon Center and set off towards the docks, following the nurse's directions. Orange had adamantly refused to ask for directions, insisting that he knew Miliovern City like the back of his own hand; Violet asked the nurse for directions anyway, which turned out to be a wise move, for she had to correct Orange on three different occasions. Orange, however, didn't seem to be in too much of an argumentative mood today, and even neglected to step around a freeze arch; Red and Violet had to pull him free.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"Oh, for Mew's sake, snap out of it already!" Violet exclaimed suddenly. Red wheeled around to watch this, taken completely aback by this. "Will you stop moping around, Orange? You're driving us crazy! OK, you lost against your cousin- big deal! If anything, that should motivate you to train harder! You think moping around feeling sorry for yourself is gonna help you beat her? Now you get on that ship and you wipe out every last trainer on board, and then you march right back into that Gym and you take out every single Pokémon that cousin of yours throws at you!"

Orange was visibly startled by Violet's sudden outburst, and for a moment, didn't speak. Once he found his voice, he said, "OK, you know what, Vi? For once in your life, you're right. What am I doing, moping around like this, anyway? Yeah! You know something? I'll do it. I'll go and take out every single Pokémon belonging to every single trainer on board that ship, and then I'll go back into Miliovern Gym and I'll beat Electra's team so badly they won't know what hit them! Come on, guys, let's do this!" With that, Orange ran off in the direction of the docks, with Violet and Red following behind.

"You sure that was wise?" Red asked Violet. "He's even more worked up than usual, and that's saying something."

"I still prefer it to when he was all mopey," replied Violet.

"Good point," Red conceded. "C'mon, Violet, we should probably try and catch up, otherwise there won't be any trainers left for us to fight by the time we get there."

"Right," grinned Violet as they started to jog after Orange.

For the next five minutes, the trio raced along the streets of Miliovern (Red and Violet caught up to Orange fairly quickly), until they reached a street which stretched along the coastline. Numerous docks seemingly crafted out of Styrofoam, threes, empty soup cans, and a large assortment of Nintendo Game Boy Colors lined this street, with various forms of aquatic transportation moored at these docks. Red spotted what appeared to be a submarine made entirely out of duct tape, and a small motorboat made out of TV remote controls and leaves. What they were looking for, however, they spotted within seconds- a massive structure, floating on the water, with a hull made primarily out of pine cones and white toilet seats, the words "S.S. Nean" painted near the bow in large, black letters. A man in a sailor's uniform stood next to a gangplank which seemed to consist entirely of aluminum siding, pieces of fence, and chunks of rock.

"Tickets, please," he said in a bored voice. Orange dug his ticket out of his pocket and showed it to the man. Red pulled his ticket out of his backpack, and Violet produced her ticket from her fanny pack. "Alright, welcome aboard," said the man, stepping aside to let them pass.

The trio walked up the gangplank and found themselves on the ship's deck, the floor of which looked like it was made up of chunks of concrete and rocks. The muffled sound of commotion could be heard from behind a door right in front of them, which seemed to lead to an indoor portion of the ship. Orange walked up to the plastic door and yanked it open, and was greeted with a loud rush of cheering. Leading the way inside, Orange pushed through a sizable crowd, and found himself looking at what the crowd had gathered to see- a Pokémon battle was well underway. Red and Violet caught up to Orange and watched the fight unfold along with him- on one side, there stood a short, vaguely human-like Pokémon with a yellow body (the bottom half a darker shade than the top), and on the other side, a furry, brown rodent that everyone present recognized as a Raticate. Violet took out her Pokédex and pointed it at the Raticate's opponent.

"Drowzee, the Hypnosis Pokémon," droned the device. "Employs hypnotic powers to put its enemies to sleep before eating their dreams. Drowzee can get sick from eating bad dreams."

"Let's go, Drowzee!" exclaimed its trainer. "Seismic Toss!"

"Raticate, a Jump Kick!" commanded the opposing, and extravagantly overdressed trainer (he was wearing, in addition to his suit and bow tie, a pair of fancy glasses and a top hat).

"Jump Kick?" repeated Orange in a confused whisper. "I didn't think Raticate could learn that..."

"Rrrrraticate!" snarled Raticate as it lunged forward, slamming its foot into the oncoming Drowzee, causing it to stumble backwards.

"Drow!" gasped Drowzee in an eerie tone which somehow seemed to echo. Drowzee fell to the floor, but got up almost immediately.

"Don't give in, Drowzee! Use Mega Punch!" yelled the Drowzee's trainer.

"Raticate, Super Fang attack!" said the Raticate's trainer.

"Drow... zee!" Drowzee exclaimed as it slammed its right fist into Raticate's side. Though the attack clearly hit hard, Raticate recovered quickly and sank its prominent front teeth into Drowzee's right arm, causing the Psychic-type to howl in pain.

"All right, Quick Attack now!" the trainer exclaimed.

"Rrrrraticate!" screeched Raticate as it released its dental grip on the Drowzee's arm, backed up a bit, and slammed into it with incredible speed. Neither Drowzee nor its trainer had any time to react to this as the former fell to the floor, unconscious.

"And that's win number ten for my Raticate," the overdressed man declared proudly as the Normal-type walked over and stood near his feet, glancing at various members of the crowd, as if daring any of them to try and take it on. "Do we got any other challengers, or should we just call it a day?"

"Oh, you got yourself another challenger, all right!" Orange exclaimed as he pushed his way out of the crowd, finding himself within the wide circle everyone was forming around the two trainers.

"Mm-hmm!" nodded the man, grinning at the young trainer. "And you think you got what it takes to beat my Raticate here?"

"You better believe I do," said Orange as he took a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it. "Ready to go?"

"Always," the man stated. "We accept your challenge! Raticate, go!"

"Raticate!" exclaimed Raticate as it stepped forward.

Orange threw the ball into the air. ".4, I choose you! Go!" he shouted as the ball split open, unleashing the small, purple Pokémaniac-type in a flash of bright light. Upon being let out, .4 zipped around in small circles, gibbering unintelligibly out of sheer excitement.

"Raticate, Hyper Fang attack!" the man ordered.

".4, TM28 attack!" called Orange.

As Raticate lunged forward, front teeth bared and ready, .4 flew down to meet it, and promptly let loose a minor explosion, sending Raticate flying backwards and crashing to the floor. Raticate, however, got up almost immediately afterwards, still ready to go.

"Not bad!" the man declared. "Now, Raticate, a Jump Kick!"

"Rrrrrraticaaate!" screeched Raticate as it leapt up again, this time aiming a kick at .4.

"Use TM05 now!" said Orange.

.4 zipped forward once more, streaking right at Raticate, but pulled out of it at the last second and vanished into thin air. A surprised and confused Raticate fell to the floor and slowly climbed back to its feet, wincing in pain.

"Cool," grinned Violet. "Raticate kept going and crashed!"

"Finish it with Wing Attack!" Orange yelled.

"Stop!" the other trainer exclaimed suddenly as he walked up and scooped his Raticate into his arms. "Your .4's proven how tough it is. What say we call it a draw?"

"Hey, come on, I was winning!" Orange argued, but the man didn't seem to hear him. Shrugging this off, Orange glanced around at the numerous trainers still gathered around. "Well, come on, who's next?" he called. Numerous trainers spoke up at once, all of them wanting to challenge Orange, who selected one of them at random. The battle quickly commenced, Orange's .4 against the trainer's 7g. As the two traded blows, Red heard a voice nearby.

"Aw, come on, I wanted to battle!" a nearby trainer was complaining. He looked to be around Red's age, with short, spiky black hair.

"Hey, if you want to battle, I'm up for a fight," Red offered. The other trainer turned to face Red and grinned.

"You're on!" he declared. "Name's Terrence, who're you?"

"I'm Red," stated Red. "And this is Violet, and the guy with the .4, that's Orange, our friend.

"Nice to meet you, Red," nodded Terrence. "Now let's get going, huh?"

"Fine by me," said Red as they walked over to a less crowded part of the room. Violet followed behind and stood next to Red.

"Two Pokémon each?" asked Red as he took out a Poké Ball.

"Fine by me," replied Terrence as he mimicked this action.

"Doduo, go!" Red called as he launched his ball.

"I choose Sandshrew!" shouted Terrence as he threw his Poké Ball

In identical flashes of light, Red's Doduo appeared, as did a bipedal, yellow-brown Pokémon, its hands tipped with small yet sharp claws.

"Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokémon," said Red's Pokédex. "Sandshrew burrow underground in arid locations and emerge only to hunt for food."

"Doduo, let's win this!" Red exclaimed. "Peck attack now!"

"Do do Doduo!" exclaimed both of Doduo's heads simultaneously as it dashed forward.

"Sandshrew! Scratch attack!" commanded Terrence.

"Shrewwww!" screeched Sandshrew as it curled its body into a spherical shape and rolled forward at a rapid pace. As it approached Doduo, Sandshrew unfurled its body, leapt up, and raked its claws across Doduo's torso, sending the Twin Bird Pokémon tumbling backwards.

"Come on, Doduo!" Red encouraged his Normal/Flying-type. "Fight back with Skull Bash!"

Doduo regained its footing and charged at Sandshrew once more, this time with heads lowered.

"Sandshrew, use your Body Slam!" ordered Terrence.

"Sa-shrew!" Sandshrew replied as it leapt into the air, then landed deliberately and forcefully on Doduo's back, the weight of its whole body forcing Doduo down to the floor. Sandshrew expertly leapt off as Doduo struggled to climb back to its feet.

"Fury Attack!" Red called.

"Sandshrew! Fury Swipes now!" shouted Terrence.

Doduo charged at Sandshrew once more as the Ground-type jumped up, claws bared. An all-out melee ensued as Doduo's heads jabbed at Sandshrew with their beaks, while Sandshrew scratched at the heads repeatedly. The two broke apart, with both of them breathing heavily.

"What now?" Violet muttered to Red.

"I don't know," Red admitted. "That Sandshrew's pretty good against anything I try. Attack power isn't much use when the moves aren't even hitting- Doduo?" Red said, for while he was speaking, Doduo proceeded to charge up what appeared to be a large, glowing triangle between its two heads.

"Wait a second," Violet said, snapping her fingers. "You said 'try' and then 'attack'. Doduo must've thought you meant Tri Attack! It knows Tri Attack!"

"Whoa!" Red exclaimed at this revelation as Doduo fired off the Tri Attack, the large, glowing triangle striking Sandshrew, sending it tumbling backwards. "Way to go, Doduo! Let's finish this right now, use Skull Bash!"

"Get up, Sandshrew! Poison Sting!" exclaimed Terrence. However, it was no good. As Sandshrew struggled to get back onto its feet, Doduo plowed both heads into the Ground-type. Sandshrew flew backwards and slammed into a wall, where it slowly slid down and slumped to the floor, where it lay without any further movement. Scowling, Terrence withdrew his Sandshrew, then took out another Poké Ball.

"Good job, Doduo!" Red exclaimed, grinning widely as Doduo cawed triumphantly.

"Don't get too excited, this battle's just getting started!" declared Terrence as he threw his next Poké Ball. "I choose you!"

In a flash of light, a blue Pokémon of moderate size appeared. It stood on four legs, and small barbs were visible on various points all over its body, including its sizable ears.

"Nidorina, the Poison Pin Pokémon, and the evolved form of the female Nidoran," droned Violet's Pokédex. "Though usually docile, Nidorina will attack with bites and scratches when provoked. Its horns develop slower than Nidorino's, so it prefers attacks involving its claws and teeth."

"Doduo, you still good to go?" asked Red. Doduo gave a pair of affirmative caws, and stared down at Nidorina, who stared right back at the two heads. "OK! Doduo, Tri Attack now!" Red ordered.

"Do do!" cawed Doduo as it charged up and launched a great, glowing triangle from between its two heads.

"Nidorina, Tackle attack!" ordered Terrence.

Nidorina deftly evaded the Tri Attack, then charged forward, slamming into Doduo's spherical torso, sending it stumbling backwards.

"Now finish it with Thunderbolt!" yelled Terrence.

"Riii...naaaaa!" screeched Nidorina as she unleashed a sizzling blast of electricity. Doduo screeched and cawed in pain as the electricity lit up its entire body, then crumpled in a heap as the attack ended.

"Doduo, return now!" Red said as he held out Doduo's Poké Ball in his left hand. Once Doduo was back in its ball, Red threw another Poké Ball with his right hand. "Charmeleon, come on out!" he added.

In a flash of light, Red's Charmeleon materialized. It stomped the floor, snorted, and glared at Nidorina menacingly. Nidorina met Charmeleon's gaze unflinchingly. Both of them were ready for battle.

"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!" Red ordered.

"Nidorina, Water Gun!" called Terrence.

Simultaneously, Charmeleon unleashed a powerful stream of flames from its mouth, and Nidorina let fly a stream of water from her mouth. The two attacks collided in midair, and a great deal of steam was produced, as fire was extinguished and water evaporated at identical rates. The two were evenly matched, and neither side was giving an inch. This went on for some time, until Nidorina's attack started to weaken. More steam ensued as Charmeleon's Flamethrower started to overpower the Water Gun, and Nidorina was finally hit by the move.

"All right, Charmeleon!" cheered Red. "Now use Scratch and finish it!"

"Char!" replied Charmeleon as it lunged forward and took a swipe at Nidorina with its glowing right claws, sending it flying. Nidorina landed on the floor at Terrence's feet, unconscious.

"Rrrrgh!" Terrence exclaimed as he withdrew Nidorina. "I lost! But this is not the end, Red! We will meet again, we will battle again, and next time, I will win!" With that, he wheeled around and stormed off.

"Wow," Red remarked. "Almost makes Orange seem sane."

"Yeah," agreed Violet. "Oh, by the way, that wasn't Scratch Charmeleon used back there. Did you notice its claws glowing like that? That was Slash."

"Was it really?" Red asked with an air of surprise. "Nice one, Charmeleon!" he exclaimed.

"Charmeleon," replied the Flame Pokémon with a satisfied smirk. As Red withdrew Charmeleon, Orange came walking over to them, a satisfied smirk of his own on his face.

"How'd the battle go?" asked Violet.

"Battles, not battle!" Orange grinned. "It was awesome! I must have battled 10 or 12 trainers back there and I beat them all! .4 and Fearow are totally wiped, but they were so great!"

"How did you manage that many battles?" asked Red. "I only got in one just now, and it wasn't that long."

"I'm that good, I guess," shrugged Orange. "Did you win?"

"Yep," replied Red. "The guy was a bit of a sore loser, though."

"Man, I hate that," said Orange, shaking his head. Red and Violet exchanged exasperated looks at this.

Hours passed. Red, Orange, and Violet took to challenging any trainer who happened to pass them by. Red and Parasect came out on top against a young girl and her 44Hy; Violet made great use of Skulls's Mimic attack against a middle-aged man's Poliwag, turning its own Hypnosis against it; Orange and A narrowly came out on top after a fierce bout with a teenage boy and his Magmar. After dozens of battles, all their Pokémon were completely exhausted, so they decided to go out onto the deck and get some fresh air.

Out on the deck, the sky was getting dark; the pixellated, blocky, scrambled sun was descending in the sky.

"The ship's gonna set sail soon," Orange remarked. "You think we should head back to the Pokémon Cen- whoa!"

For at that moment, the entire ship lurched, as something collided with the hull with great force. Red looked over the side, but pulled his head back swiftly.

"Red, what is it?" asked Violet. Red opened his mouth, when a massive creature emerged from the water, towering over the ship. A very large serpent with blue scales, as well as jagged white scales poking out in place. A pair of beige whiskers were on either side of its gaping mouth, in which four massive, sharp fangs could be seen. Its eyes, perpetually narrowed in an expression of anger, scanned the area before settling on the trio of trainers below it.

"That," Red remarked, pointing up at the Gyarados before them.

"Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokémon, and the evolved form of Magikarp," droned Orange's Pokédex. "Rarely seen in the wild. Huge and vicious, Gyarados can destroy entire cities in a towering rage."

"Not good," said Red, Orange, and Violet simultaneously.

Gyarados backed up slightly. Any hopes that it was about to go back into the water were quickly dashed as it rammed the ship again, rocking it violently, As it rocked from side to side, Violet lost her balance and fell over the side, into the water, in extremely close proximity to the Gyarados.

"Violet!" Orange exclaimed as he ran over to the railing and looked into the water to see her thrashing about.

"Orange, get away from there!" Red shouted.

"Like hell I will," retorted Orange. Just then, Gyarados seemed to notice Violet trying to stay afloat near it. It lowered its head towards Violet, mouth wide open.

"Oh, crap," Red muttered as he prepared a Poké Ball. Orange, however, was quicker.

"No you don't!" he shouted as he threw an empty Poké Ball at the Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokémon was sucked inside almost immediately, and the ball fell down to the deck. While it was still shaking, Orange scooped up the sphere and heaved it towards the ocean as hard as he could, achieving an impressive distance. Just before the ball hit the water, it exploded into thousands of pieces, and Gyarados re-emerged, only now at a much more favorable distance from the ship.

Wasting no time, Orange threw another Poké Ball into the air, calling out Q. Though the Deep Sea Pokémon was wiped out from its prior battles, it still had sufficient strength to telekinetically haul Violet back on board. Sopping wet, Violet was shivering, not only from the cold, but presumably also due to almost having become a Gyarados's dinner.

"Vi, you OK?" asked Orange as he knelt down to look at Violet. Violet looked at Orange and shakily wrapped him in a hug, not saying anything at the moment. Orange seemed rather startled by this, but made no objection to it. Red, meanwhile, looked out into the distance, where the Gyarados was glaring at the ship. After several tense moments of this, the Gyarados silently turned around and descended back beneath the surface of the water. Red sighed in relief as Orange helped a shaking Violet to her feet.

"Orange... Thanks..." Violet said quietly.

Half an hour later, the trio found themselves back at the Miliovern City Pokémon Center. Violet had dried off and changed into a fresh set of clothes (how she had managed to fit a change of clothes in her fanny pack, much less keep the contents of said fanny pack completely dry, was beyond Orange and Red's understanding), and they were in the middle of eating dinner.

"Well, I think we all got in some good training today," Red remarked. "Orange, by the way, you were something else back there. I didn't even think of doing what you did, with that Poké Ball."

"Yeah... I guess it was... kinda cool," Violet added reluctantly. Orange stared at her, half grinning.

"It would actually hurt you to give me a compliment with your whole heart!" he stated. "I saved your life back there, Vi, that Gyarados would've eaten you!"

"I would've been fine," Violet said. "I didn't ask to be saved."

"I didn't say you had a choice in the matter," Orange retorted.

Red silently observed this conversation, though his mind was on something else entirely. "Hey... hey, guys," he said.

"Yeah?" said Orange as he and Violet turned to look at Red.

"What, Red?" asked Violet.

"I just thought of something," said Red. "I was thinking back to when Electra was using Electabuzz. I couldn't help but notice something about the way it was battling, and if my hunch is right, I think you just might be able to find a way around it after all, Orange."


	18. Showdown In Miliovern Gym

The double doors of the Miliovern City Pokémon Gym flew open with a BANG, much to Electra's surprise. Her brief look of surprise turned to a smirk, for standing in the doorway was none other than her little cousin, Orange.

"Well, well," she remarked as Orange marched into the building, Red and Violet following behind him. "Back for another thrashing, eh, Orange?"

"Oh, I'm here for a thrashing- yours!" replied Orange. "You're going down this time, Electra."

"We'll see about that," Electra smirked as she readied a Poké Ball. "Ready to lose?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," retorted Orange as he too readied a ball.

"Same rules as last time- three Pokémon each," stated Electra. "Let's do it!" And she launched the ball in her hand. "Voltorb, go!"

In a flash of light, Electra's Voltorb materialized. The oversized Poké Ball lookalike sat in place, glaring up at Orange, who threw the ball he was holding. "Go, Nidoking!" he shouted, as Nidoking emerged from the Poké Ball, roaring loudly.

"Voltorb, use Rage!" Electra ordered.

"Voltorb, Voltorb," droned Voltorb as its eyes narrowed in anger. The Ball Pokémon then launched itself forward and rammed into Nidoking.

"Nidoking, PoisonPowder!" commanded Orange.

Nidoking roared loudly, blasting clouds of purple dust from its mouth. Voltorb attempted to evade the move, but without success. A purple tint made itself visible on Voltorb's forehead, and its eyes betrayed a weary look.

"Smart," remarked Violet. "Voltorb's poisoned. And a move like PoisonPowder isn't going to power up its Rage, but Voltorb's gonna take more and more damage.

Voltorb, not waiting for more orders, slammed into Nidoking a second time. The Drill Pokémon roared loudly as the Rage attack connected. Voltorb then moved in for another hit.

"Dodge it, Nidoking!" called Orange. "Use TM05!"

Nidoking roared as it ran towards Voltorb, but leapt off to the side at the last second and vanished into thin air. Voltorb glanced around wildly, searching for Nidoking and not spotting it. It then winced as the poison continued to take its toll on the Electric-type.

"OK, let's wrap this up!" Orange exclaimed. "Rolling Kick!"

Another loud roar was heard, and Voltorb was suddenly propelled forcefully into the gym's wall. Nidoking then reappeared, a satisfied grin on its face as Voltorb fell to the floor and ceased all movement.

"Nice!" Red exclaimed.

"Voltorb, return!" said Electra as she withdrew the Electric-type, then produced a second Poké Ball. "Not bad at all, Orange," she said. "Not bad at all. But let's see if you can keep things going, shall we?" She then heaved the Poké Ball and shouted, "I choose you, Magnemite!"

In a flash of light, Electra's Magnemite materialized, floating in midair, its single eye glancing in different directions before settling on Nidoking.

"Nidoking, PoisonPowder now!" ordered Orange.

"Magnemite, Supersonic!" commanded Electra.

"Magnemite," droned Magnemite as it released a volley of circular sound waves from its body. Nidoking roared and let off clouds of purple dust at the same time. As Nidoking was subjected to the Supersonic attack, Magnemite was covered in the PoisonPowder. Its eyelid and magnets drooped slightly as the poison started to take its effect. Nidoking, meanwhile, began to stumble about, its eyes unfocused.

"Magnemite's poisoned," grinned Red.

"Yeah, and Nidoking's confused," added Violet, frowning.

"Snap out of it, Nidoking!" called Orange. "Use Aurora Beam!"

Nidoking roared loudly and... punched itself in the face.

"Heh," chuckled Electra. "Magnemite, Double-Edge now!"

"Magnemiiiiiite," droned Magnemite as it charged forward, slamming into Nidoking with great force. In spite of the obvious size difference, the Poison/Ground-type was sent flying, It crashed to the floor in front of Orange and ceased all movement. At the same time, however, Magnemite started to wobble violently in midair as the poison's insidious effects continued.

"Nidoking, return now!" called Orange as he withdrew the Drill Pokémon. He then launched another Poké Ball and called out, "OK, .4, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, Orange's .4 materialized, the Pokémaniac-type looking even more excited and energetic than usual, if that was even possible.

"Well, so much for your type advantage," sneered Electra. "I think this is gonna go the same way as our first battle."

"We'll see," smirked Orange. ".4, Agility!"

.4 squealed and gibbered as it flew in every direction over the battlefield, picking up speed at an incredible pace.

"Magnemite! ThunderShock!" ordered Electra.

"Miiiiite," responded Magnemite as it issued a blast of lightning from its body. .4, however, was able to evade it with ease. Magnemite repeated the attack, each attempt as unsuccessful as the last. As Magnemite turned this way and that in midair, trying to get a better shot, the poison ravaged its mechanical body once more, causing it to violently shudder.

"Finish it! TM28 attack now!" Orange yelled.

.4 screeched wildly as it dove down towards Magnemite and let off an explosion. Magnemite fell to the floor with a THUD and made no effort to get back up.

"Hmm," remarked Electra as she withdrew Magnemite. "This is getting pretty good, I have to say. But do you have what it takes to beat my best Pokémon?" she added as she held up a Poké Ball, the contents of which Orange knew only too well by now. Orange, however, didn't look nervous in the slightest.

"Bring it. I'm ready," Orange said, his voice full of determination.

"Your funeral," grinned Electra as she threw the ball. "Electabuzz, destroy!"

The Poké Ball split open, and in a blast of light, the human-shaped, black-striped Electric-type emerged.

".4, go! TM28 now!" shouted Orange.

"Electabuzz, Teleport!" commanded Electra.

Electabuzz vanished into thin air as .4 exploded, reappearing several feet away, well out of range of the blast.

"Now use Psychic!" Electra said.

"Dodge it! Use TM05!" yelled Orange.

.4 dove towards Electabuzz, but as it tried to pull out, the blast of blue light had already erupted forth from Electabuzz's body. The Caffeine Pokémon screeched in discomfort as the Psychic attack scored a direct hit. Electabuzz then followed up with a Mega Punch, sending .4 crashing to the floor. Down but not out, .4 rose unsteadily back into the air.

"Yeah, we got this," Orange reassured his Pokémon. "C'mon, we'll show Electabuzz a thing or two! Agility!"

"Electabuzz, Quick Attack now!" ordered Electra.

.4 attempted to fly around the battlefield to increase its Speed, but Electabuzz cut it off with even greater speed, tackling the Pokémaniac-type to the floor. .4 let out one more feeble squeak before abandoning its attempt to get up.

"That's OK, .4, you did fine," Orange reassured .4 as he returned it to its Poké Ball.

"If by 'doing fine' you mean not landing a single attack, then yeah, I'd say you did," grinned Electra.

"Oh, this isn't over," replied Orange as he took out another Poké Ball. "Let's win this one, Q! Go!" he shouted as he threw the ball. Electra blinked in surprise as Orange's starter emerged, for Q was most definitely weak to Electric attacks.

"Slipping a little, aren't we, Orange?" she asked. "Or did we forget what type Q is already?"

"Oh, I know what type Q is," grinned Orange. "The question here is, what can you do about it? Q, Water Gun now!"

"Kyuuuuuu," sang Q as it unleashed a blast of water. On Electra's command, Electabuzz Teleported out of the attack's path, reappearing behind Q.

"OK, Mega Punch now!" she commanded.

"Q, Headbutt!" Orange yelled.

As Electabuzz drew back its fist, Q wheeled around in midair and rammed into the Electric-type, sending it crashing to the floor. Though Electabuzz got back up with ease, Orange's satisfied smirk grew more and more pronounced.

"What are you grinning at?" demanded Electra. "You're still the one at the disadvantage."

"Am I?" replied Orange. "Because Red brought a very interesting point to my attention last night. And it got me thinking. See, I've been watching your Gym battles before the move, and now that I think of it... I have never seen your Electabuzz actually use any Electric-type moves. Ever."

"You're crazy," scoffed Electra.

"All right," shrugged Orange. "Have Electabuzz demonstrate one right now and we'll call it our mistake."

Electra did not look happy. She scowled at Orange, but gave no orders to Electabuzz.

"I had a feeling," nodded Red. "I mean, I knew we wouldn't see any against Nidoking, but it struck me as odd that she didn't order it to use any Electric moves against .4."

"Why haven't you taught your Electabuzz any Electric moves?" asked Violet.

Electra sighed and gritted her teeth before responding. "The electricity-generating organs an Electabuzz has, they never developed in this one. The most it can do is make a few sparks crackle between its horns every so often. Not nearly enough for an attack. But this Electabuzz was my very first Pokemon, I wasn't going to give him up over a minor setback like that. That's why we trained so hard, why I taught it so many other kinds of moves, to make up for its lack of electricity. And we are not about to lose here and now!" she concluded. "Electabuzz! Hyper Beam!"

Electabuzz growled loudly as it fired off a massive yellow beam of pure destructive force from its mouth.

"Q, Confusion!" Orange yelled.

"Kyuuuuuu," replied Q in its melodious voice as it fired off a ray of blue light from one of its corners, which collided with the Hyper Beam, holding it at bay, then managing to cut through the Hyper Beam like a knife through extremely violent butter. Electabuzz then stopped the attack, panting in exhaustion from the effort necessary to maintain such a high-powered attack, and then the Confusion attack struck.

"Don't give in, Electabuzz!" Electra called. "Try a Metronome!"

Orange tensed up as Electabuzz raised its arms into the air and began to wag its index fingers back and forth.

"Geez, a Metronome attack," remarked Red. "Anything can happen now, there's no telling."

"Q, be ready for anything," warned Orange.

"Kyu kyu," nodded Q.

Electabuzz continued to wag its fingers back and forth, and the fingers had now taken on a brilliant white glow. Then, its topped wagging them, growled loudly, and its tail whipped around furiously. For a second, Red thought that Metronome had called up Tail Whip, but then a number of green leaves materialized out of thin air all around Electabuzz, then fired themselves off towards Q, who shrieked in discomfort as the Razor Leaf attack hit.

"C'mon, Q, let's end this now!" Orange ordered. "BubbleBeam!"

"BubbleBeam?" asked Red and Violet simultaneously.

"Yeah, I used the Technical Machine from Ruceelna Gym," explained Orange as Q let fly a forceful stream of bubbles. Electabuzz yelled out loud as the attack landed, then slumped to the floor. After several spirited attempts to get back up, the Electric-type passed out at long last.

"Wha... we... we DID IT!" Orange exclaimed loudly as he ran out onto the battlefield and wrapped Q in a hug. "We did it! We won! We actually won, I can't believe it, we did it!"

Electra, meanwhile, continued to stare out onto the battlefield, mouth agape. After a few moments, she seemed to regain her composure. She withdrew Electabuzz, then approached her cousin.

"Well, well, I gotta say, I didn't expect the battle to end like this," she admitted. "You're a pretty good trainer after all, Orange. And it gives me great pleasure to present you with the Watt Badge," she added as she presented Orange with a badge that looked like two lightning bolts crossed in an X-shape. Then, to general surprise, she approached Red and Violet and offered them Watt Badges as well.

"For us?" Red asked in surprise. "But we haven't even battled you yet."

"No, but you two are part of the reason Orange was able to beat me," Electra replied. "You're the one who helped him figure out my Electabuzz didn't know any Electric moves. And you," she added to Violet, "Well, I happened to be passing by yesterday morning, and I heard everything you said to him. I didn't think he had taken the loss that hard, but you really snapped him out of it. My cousin is lucky to have friends like you two. Besides, Pokémon League regulations state that Gym badges can be given out without a battle at the leader's discretion, if the leader believes that the recipients deserve them."

Red and Violet exchanged glances, then took the badges out of Electra's hand. She then produced a trio of yellow discs and handed those out as well.

"Technical Machine 24," she explained as Orange examined his. "Those teach Thunderbolt. Good luck on your journey, all three of you. Oh, yes, by the way, while the closest Gym is in Fansfor City, good luck getting into there. The gatekeepers are all kinds of unreasonable. I suggest going around to Vandeler Town, then taking the east-west bridge across Fansfor to get to Nodacel City. There's a Gym there."

Orange nodded at this news, while Red seemed lost in thought about something. The three thanked Electra and exited the Gym.

"Hey, guys," Red said once they left the Gym, "Do me a favor. Spell 'Vandeler' and 'Nodacel' for me, would you?"

"V-A-N-D-E-L-E-R," replied Orange.

"N-O-D-A-C-E-L," added Violet.

Red nodded and thought for a few more moments before nodding again. "Thought so," he said. "Vandeler Town corresponds to Lavender Town in Kanto, while Nodacel has to be Tanko's version of Celadon City.

Violet, meanwhile, pulled up a map of Tanko on her Pokédex and examined it. "Looks like the quickest way to get to Vandeler Town from here is to go east and take Route -11."

"Then let's go," nodded Red.

"Not so fast," Orange said suddenly. "I think we ought to hit the Pokémon Center first, don't you? There's bound to be trainers along Route -11, and I want my Pokémon to be more than ready to take them on."

"Yeah, because you're the one who needs the extra training," scoffed Violet. "You know, Red and I, we're trainers, too, you gotta leave some for us to battle."

"Oh, please, you two got in so much battling on the S.S. Nean yesterday, it's ridiculous," said Orange. Red sighed as Orange and Violet proceeded to argue.

At the Pokémon Center, Orange approached the nurse and handed her his Poké Balls. Once the Pokémon were healed up, the nurse spoke to the three of them.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot," she added, producing a brown cardboard box from behind the counter. "I have a package here from the captain of the S.S. Nean. He said something about forgetting to properly thank you for taking care of that Gyarados that was attacking the ship? What exactly happened?"

"Long story," said Red. "It was mostly Orange here, though. Go ahead, Orange, take it," he added. Grinning, Orange accepted the package and tore it open. Inside, there were three silver discs, not unlike Technical Machines, but with additional labels which read "Hidden Machine #01: Cut"

"Hidden Machines?" Violet asked, her eyes wide with surprise. "Those are really rare!"

"One for each of us, it looks like," Orange stated as he handed one to Red and one to Violet while placing his own in his backpack.

"Feels a little weird, though," Red remarked as they left the Pokémon Center. "Receiving badges without battling for them, I mean."

"Hey, you heard Electra back there, you two earned them all the same," Orange stated. "Red, if it weren't for you, I might not have realized that her Electabuzz doesn't know Electric moves. And Vi... you're the reason I snapped out of that funk I was in and got motivated to win. So do me a favor, guys, and try not to look this gift Ponyta in the mouth, OK?"

"Fine," sighed Violet as the entrance to Route -11 came into sight and Orange dashed off, shouting a battle challenge to the first person he spotted at the top of his lungs. Red shook his head, though chuckled a little bit. It was then that he noticed a large, rocky hill next to the path (which appeared to be paved with aluminum foil, sevens, threes, and perfectly square puddles of water), with an entrance carved into it.

"That's Dugtrio's Cave," explained Violet. "That takes us back to Route -2, it's way out of our way. The only Pokémon we'd be able to find in there is a lot of Dugtrio and the occasional Diglett." Red nodded and continued walking on.

"We got something like that in Kanto," Red explained. "Except it's called Diglett's cave. It's home to lots of Diglett and a few Dugtrio." It was then that they caught up to Orange and the Youngster he was facing. Both of them appeared to be commanding a four-legged Pokémon, with a brown lower half and a red upper half. The arms were tipped with red pincers.

"Krabby, the River Crab Pokémon," droned Violet's Pokédex as she pointed it at the Youngster's Pokémon. "Found near the shore. If its pincers break off in battle, they grow back quickly."

"Come on, Krabby, Bubble attack!" ordered the Youngster.

"A, Stomp!" Orange commanded.

The "Krabby" that Orange was commanding gave out a squeal as it leapt into the air, evading the real Krabby's Bubble, and slamming one foot into the River Crab Pokémon.

"Krabby, fight back with Water Gun!" said the Youngster.

"A, use your Crabhammer attack now!" ordered Orange.

The real Krabby fired off a stream of water from its mouth, which A managed to evade before slamming its right pincer into Krabby's head. The real Krabby was sent tumbling backwards. It landed at its trainer's feet and flailed about for a few seconds before fainting.

"Nice job, A," grinned Orange as the Speed Demon Pokémon resumed its usual rectangular shape.

"Krabby, return," sighed the Youngster. "You're a pretty good trainer," he added to Orange.

"Yeah, you too," replied Orange. "Oh, hey guys," he added as he noticed Red and Violet. "What took you guys so long?"

"We walk at a normal pace, Orange," replied Violet.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Orange, rolling his eyes. "OK, c'mon, if we get up a good pace, we can get to Vandeler Town by nightfall."

"You're going to Vandeler Town?" asked the Youngster in a tone of great surprise.

"Yeah, why?" asked Red.

"You haven't heard the stories? There's supposed to be all sorts of ghosts haunting the underground mausoleum there- Pokémon Tunnel," the Youngster replied in a small voice.

"Yeah, right," scoffed Violet. "Ghost-type Pokémon, you mean. There's no such things as actual ghosts."

"I dunno, Vi," murmured Orange. "I mean, you just said yourself there's Ghost-type Pokémon, so..."

"Oh, come on, Orange," groaned Violet. "You don't honestly believe that garbage, do you? What do you think, Red?" she demanded, wheeling around to face him. Orange did this too, and Red suddenly found himself yet again in a position he didn't want to be in.

"I think I want to stay out of this discussion," said Red. "Come on, do we want to get to Vandeler Town today or what?"

"Oh, sure, side with her," Orange said. Red and Violet facepalmed simultaneously.


	19. A Grave Situation

"All right, Graveler! Tackle attack!"

"Chompy, use your Razor Leaf attack!"

As the large Rock/Ground-type known as Graveler lunged forward, Violet's Weepinbell swiped at the air with the leaves on the sides of its body, sending a flurry of sharp-edged leaves flying towards the living boulder. Violet's opponent, a large Hiker, looked less than confident as Graveler cried out in pain from the Grass-type move.

"Let's end it, Chompy!" ordered Violet. "Acid!"

"Bell," grunted the Weepinbell as it fired off a blast of corrosive purple fluid from its mouth.

"Graaaaveler," groaned Graveler as it slumped to the ground.

"Not too shabby," the Hiker remarked as he withdrew Graveler. "That's one fine Weepinbell there, little lady. You about ready to evolve it?"

"Not sure," replied Violet. "To evolve Chompy, I'd have to use a Leaf Stone. Pokémon that evolve with the help of stones have a tendency to stop learning moves on their own. I'm not sure if Chompy's learned all the moves that it won't be able to learn as a Victreebel."

"Well, you know something? Here," the Hiker said as he produced a chunk of green rock from his backpack and handed it to Violet. The rock had an indentation in one side shaped remarkably like a leaf. "This here's a Leaf Stone. Whenever you're ready to evolve your Weepinbell, just put this stone right next to it."

"Thanks," said Violet as she accepted the Leaf Stone and placed it in her backpack. The Hiker nodded and walked away as Violet withdrew Chompy.

"Lucky," grumbled Orange. "You can evolve Chompy any time you want to now."

"Will you relax?" groaned Violet. "I'm not going to evolve Chompy right away. I'm gonna wait until it learns Slam, OK? It can't learn Slam in the Victreebel stage."

"OK, yeah, now let's get moving," said Orange impatiently as he looked around. "There looks to be plenty of trainers around here, and we're not gonna defeat them by just standing here and- _what_ is_that?!_"

Red and Violet turned to face the direction in which Orange was looking, and saw what he was undoubtedly seeing; a large, dark blue mound, the top of which appeared to be light beige, just beyond a cluster of trees that, while looking relatively like normal trees to Red, were undoubtedly sporting electric pencil sharpeners in place of leaves. Together, the trio walked over to where this huge thing was located, and found themselves near the ocean. A series of concrete and wooden docks were positioned over the water, acting as walkways over the water. At the T-shaped intersection they had just approached, however, no progress was possible, due to the aforementioned large mound. The mound was slowly moving up and down, and light rumbling could be heard from behind it. In front of it, at the bottom, there were attached two large, round feet, each one tipped with three claws.

"It's alive?" Orange murmured.

"It's asleep?" wondered Violet.

"It's a Snorlax," said Red as he held out his Pokédex.

"Snorlax, the Sleeping Pokémon," droned the device. "Very lazy. Just eats and sleeps. As its rotund bulk builds, it becomes steadily more slothful."

There was silence, aside from the Snorlax's snoring, as the group stared at the slumbering behemoth blocking their path.

"So how do we wake it up?" asked Orange.

"Professor Oak told me about Snorlax," said Red. "They only wake up when they're hungry, and they can sleep for weeks at a time."

"Just great," sighed Orange. "So what do we do? We don't have much in the way of food on us."

"I have an idea," remarked Violet as she produced a Poké Ball from her fanny pack. "Flutters, come on out!"

"Flutters? What's that gonna do?" asked Orange as aforementioned Butterfree emerged from the ball.

"Use Sleep Powder on Orange," Violet ordered.

"Hey, wait, whoa, whoa, wh... whoa... night, night," mumbled Orange as the blue dust the Butterfree scattered from its wings sent him drifting off to sleep. Violet then dug a pair of earplugs out of her pants pocket and placed them in her ears, motioning for Red to do the same. Sure enough, moments later, Orange's infamous snoring started up. Red hastily dug out his earplugs and put them in. He had a shrewd idea as to what Violet was up to, and he anxiously looked over at Snorlax, but the Sleeping Pokémon seemed remarkably unaffected by the grating cacophony. Violet noticed this too and swore very loudly in surprise, which Red was unable to hear due to the earplugs. Even if he hadn't been wearing them, however, Orange's snores would have drowned out the profanity.

Violet then seemed to get an idea. She waved her arms to catch Flutters's attention, then said something to it. Given the loudness of Orange's snores, however, the Butterfree merely tilted its head in confusion, not having heard a word of what its trainer had said. Violet sighed. She pointed at Orange, then mimed the action of lifting him into the air, then pointed as best she could over the top of the Snorlax's stomach, at its head. Flutters seemed to comprehend what was being asked of it now, and flew over to Orange, trying very hard to endure the noise he was producing. The Butterfree then grabbed Orange's shirt and lifted the slumbering trainer into the air. Red watched as Flutters struggled to carry Orange over to Snorlax's head, and stopped once Orange's mouth, from which the snores were still flowing freely, was right next to Snorlax's ear. After a few seconds, the ear started to twitch, and Snorlax gave a few uncomfortable grunts. Satisfied, Flutters brought Orange back to the other side of the Sleeping Pokémon, and they all watched as Snorlax began to stir.

"Is it waking up?" Red asked as he removed his earplugs- only to be subjected to Orange's earsplitting snores. Violet noticed this and lightly slapped Orange's face, causing him to wake up.

"Zzzz-hmm? Wha?!" he exclaimed as he leapt to his feet. "Hey, Vi, what was the big idea anywa-"

"Orange?" said Violet as she removed her earplugs.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Orange glared at Violet, but stopped speaking as Snorlax, with a tremendous effort, rolled over to its left. The dock heading south was still blocked by the Snorlax, now laying on its stomach, but the other path was now clear.

"Perfect," smirked Violet. "I had a feeling that if anything would get through to that thing, your snores would," she said to Orange. "I was hoping to wake it up, but this'll do just fine. That's the path we gotta take to get to Vandeler Town."

Orange opened his mouth to reply to this, when a pair of all-too-familiar voices rang out from behind the trio.

"Stop right there, twerps!" the two voices called simultaneously. Groaning, Red turned to face a pair of people he would much rather never see again; the Team Debug grunts known as Will and Lou.

"Not you guys again," said Orange disdainfully. "It's bad enough we got two goons from Team Error always crossing paths with us. Two sets of morons is a little much."

"What do you two want this time?" asked Violet, frowning.

"What do you think we want?" replied Will. "We want your Pokémon!"

"The real ones, that is to say," added Lou. "We only want your natural Pokémon. You can keep those glitches."

"Our Pokémon are our Pokémon. Go and catch your own!" said Red.

"Yeah, that ain't gonna happen. Not until the boss gives us a raise," chuckled Will. "Now hand them over or we do this the hard way."

"Bring it," said Orange in a deadly voice as he took a Poké Ball off his belt. Red did the same as Violet produced a Poké Ball from her fanny pack.

In response, Will had already thrown a ball of his own. "Go! Poliwag!" he shouted.

"Vulpix, you too!" added Lou, throwing in another Poké Ball. In twin flashes of light, a pair of Pokémon appeared. One was blue and spherical, standing on a pair of small feet. The white circle on its stomach was adorned with a large, black spiral pattern, and a wide, flat, white tail was visible behind it. The other one was a reddish-orange quadrupedal creature with no fewer than six tails.

"Poliwag, the Tadpole Pokémon," droned Orange's Pokédex. "Prefers swimming over walking. Its newly grown legs make walking challenging for it."

"Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon," said Violet's Pokédex. "When first born, it only has one tail. This tail splits into six gradually as it gets older."

"So you managed to get some new Pokémon after all," remarked Orange. "Well, we'll see just how far they'll get you! Fearow! Go!" he shouted as he threw the ball in his hand.

"Migraine, you too!" added Violet, throwing her own ball.

"I choose Parasect!" Red called as he tossed his Poké Ball.

"Three against two? Hardly a fair fight," said Lou as Parasect, Psyduck, and Fearow materialized before them.

"Oh, yeah, this from the crooks who are trying to steal our Pokémon," scoffed Violet. "You guys are more hypocritical than Orange's stance on sore losers."

"Hey!" Orange snapped.

"Forget it, Lou, we can take 'em," said Will. "Poliwag! Psywave!"

"Yeah, Vulpix, use your Quick Attack!" added Lou.

Poliwag's spiral glowed and shot off a volley of glowing blue rings at Fearow, while Vulpix lunged forward, charging towards Migraine.

"Migraine, Water Gun attack!" ordered Violet.

"Psy aye aye aye aye aye aye!" quacked Migraine as it opened its bill wide and let fly a stream of water. Vulpix squealed in discomfort as the water soaked it, impeding its progress.

"Fearow, dodge it!" Orange commanded. "And use your Razor Wind!"

"Parasect, nail them both with Spore!" Red ordered.

Fearow expertly evaded the oncoming Psywave and then flapped its wings hard, sending a slicing gust of wind flying at Poliwag. "Poli poliiii!" it shrieked. At that point, Parasect scuttled forward and let fly a cloud of blue dust. Poliwag and Vulpix both slumped to the ground and were asleep in seconds.

"Poliwag, return now!" called Will as he withdrew his unconscious Water-type before throwing another Poké Ball. "Tangela, go!"

"Get back, Vulpix!" added Lou as he mirrored Will's actions. "Mankey, go get them!"

In twin flashes of light, the slightly more familiar duo of Tangela and Mankey appeared, both of them narrowing their eyes at the sight of their recurring adversaries.

"Tangela, Vine Whip that Psyduck!" ordered Will.

"Mankey, strike down that Fearow with your Rock Slide!" shouted Lou.

"Peck attack now, Fearow!" commanded Orange

"Migraine, just stand there!" said Violet. Orange turned and gave her a funny look, then something seemed to occur to him.

Tangela extended a pair of vines and slammed them right on top of the Psyduck's head as Mankey made frenzied slashing motions with its hands, somehow causing a barrage of rocks to fly forth from its hands. Fearow deftly evaded most of the rocks and swooped down, striking Mankey with its beak. Meanwhile, Migraine didn't seem to be reacting much to the Vine Whip... except for the light blue glow in its eyes, that is.

"Uh-oh," muttered Lou.

"That ain't good," remarked Will.

"Oh, you have no idea," Violet replied, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Migraine? A Confusion attack, if you please."

"Psyyyyyy," droned Migraine as its eyes unleashed twin beams of blue light. One beam struck Tangela, while the other hit Mankey. The two Pokémon were flung backwards, into their trainers' arms. Then, to the Team Debug grunts' horror, Migraine continued the attack, slamming the bad guys with blasts of telekinetic power and sending them flying backwards.

"You may win this time, twerps, but we'll be baaaaaaaack!" Will shouted as they soared clear across Route -11.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," replied Red, Orange, and Violet simultaneously as they withdrew their Pokémon.

"Bunch of losers," Orange chuckled as they made their way along the series of docks that spanned across the water.

"Agreed," nodded Violet. "Their salaries must really suck if they can barely afford Poké Balls, they don't even cost all that much."

The rest of the walk went much like this, with the three of them putting down Team Debug. Team Error was eventually brought up as well, with Orange having several choice words to say about them.

"It's shocking, really," he said. "I mean, how the hell can either one of those groups possibly justify trying to wipe out entire species of Pokémon? I'm just glad they seem to suck at what they do."

"Definitely," nodded Red. "I mean, I've never seen Pokémon like 44Hy, or .4, or Q, or any of those back in Kanto, and I'm not gonna lie, they still weird me out a little bit, but you know what? I'm starting to warm up to them. I don't want to see Team Debug wipe them out."

"I know what you mean," nodded Orange. "Just because I'm afraid of Bug-types doesn't mean I want Team Debug to burn down Ivadirin Forest."

"Say, Orange, why _are_ you-" began Red.

"I don't want to talk about it," interrupted Orange.

"I do," piped up Violet.

"Of course," sighed Orange, rolling his eyes. "But you're not gonna talk about it."

"You say that like you have an actual say in the matter," chuckled Violet.

"Just... don't, OK?" said Orange.

"OK, fine," Violet replied. Orange sighed in relief, but then Violet continued. "I won't tell Red how when you were six, you found a Kakuna in your mother's garden, took it in the house, and held it in your arms when you took a nap. And I certainly won't tell him how it evolved into a Beedrill while you were asleep, or how its angry buzzing woke you up and made you start freaking out, or how its Twineedle attack ensured you couldn't sit down for a week."

"Well, as long as you don't tell him," sighed Orange. Then he blinked. "Hey, wait a minute!" he exclaimed, which caused Violet to start laughing. "Violet! Come on, you know that story embarrasses me!"

"You fell asleep with a Kakuna in your arms?" Red asked, successfully suppressing the urge to laugh, but failing to conceal a grin.

"I WAS SIX!" roared Orange.

"Heh... Heh... Oh, look, we're here," Violet said as she stopped laughing.

"Oh, don't try and change the subject!" said Orange. "You- oh, look, we're here," he said suddenly, for they had indeed stepped off the docks onto firm, dry (plastic) land, and approached what appeared to be a small town.

They had arrived at Vandeler Town.

The trio wandered down the streets of Vandeler Town, in search of the Pokémon Center. As Red looked around, he suppressed a shiver. Random though the towns and cities of Tanko seemed to him, he had the distinct feeling that this one was more... run-down. The buildings seemed to be constructed out of pieces of wooden fence, hedges, chunks of rock, and various odd numbers. But the fence pieces were rotting, the hedges were dead, their leaves brown, and the rocks looked worn and crumbling. The trees seemed to be made of rusted sheet metal, with absolutely no semblance of leaves whatsoever. The streets and walkways seemed to be mostly made of concrete, albeit with a number of square puddles scattered all over. The concrete portions were occasionally adorned with what appeared to be chalk outlines of human bodies. To top it all off, navigation was complicated by the sheer number of freeze arches in the town- dozens of them. More than Red had ever seen before.

"Yeesh," muttered Orange as they wove in and out between a large quantity of freeze arches. "I've never seen so many in one place bef- Mew damn it! Guys, little help here?" Red and Violet turned around to see that Orange had inadvertently wandered right into a freeze arch. They each took a hand and yanked him out.

"Glad it's not just me," Red remarked. "Hey- is this it?" he added, pointing to the run-down building they had approached. Unlike most buildings in Tanko, this one seemed to be composed of just one element- stone. In fact, Red couldn't help but notice that the gray structure resembled a large tombstone. It was only a one-story building, but it still seemed to tower over the trio.

"I don't think so," Violet shook her head. "From what I've heard, I think this is the entrance to Pokémon Tunnel. It's an underground burial site where deceased Pokémon are buried."

"Wow," Red murmured. "Sounds a little like Pokémon Tower, back in Kanto. Hey, what say we go in for a minute, pay our respects to some of them?"

"You know what? That's actually a decent idea," nodded Orange as he led the way in.

The inside of the building was no less depressing than the outside. It was made of the same stone material the outside was made of. Bare light bulbs on the ceiling gave off the only light in the building, with which Red could spot two or three people, kneeling down before graves, one of them crying silently over what appeared to be her Grimer's grave. It was then that Red noticed a staircase leading to a lower level. He led the way to this staircase, but found his way barred by a young woman with black hair, dressed in an odd white robe.

"I am a Channeler," she greeted them. "Please be careful if you intend to go very far down. On some of the lower levels, there are angry spirits who will not take very kindly to your presence. You should be fine if you keep to the two floors below this one, however," she stated before walking away.

"...OK, that was weird," remarked Orange. "So, let's move."

They made their way down the stone stairs and found themselves in a slightly darker room. A number of bare bulbs provided semi-adequate illumination, as was the case on the floor above. This floor appeared to be much larger, however, and housed many more tombstones. Then, Orange jumped slightly as a wisp of purple smoke floated over some of the tombstones. The wisp billowed, becoming larger and larger, until a dark purple orb became visible within the smoke. A face could be seen on the orb- large, white eyes, and a wide grin. It took Red a second to realize what he was seeing, at which point he held out his Pokédex.

"Gastly, the Gas Pokémon," the machine droned. "Almost invisible, it cloaks its target in its gaseous form and puts it to sleep without notice."

"A Gastly," remarked Violet. "I think I might want to catch it."

"Yeah... Go ahead, Vi..." panted Orange. Red turned to look at Orange, who was breathing a little heavier than usual, and looked a little paler.

"Orange?" Red asked. "What's up?"

"No... nothing," Orange replied with a grin. "I'm... I'm fine..."

And then he fainted.

"Orange? Orange!" Violet exclaimed as she realized what happened. She knelt down and examined his now feebly stirring form. Orange was very pale now, and while he had regained consciousness, he couldn't seem to sit up. Red looked around, frantically looking for someone who might be able to help, and leapt about a foot in the air as he came face to face with a large cube with black and lavender square-shaped markings all over.

"Wah!" Red exclaimed as he leapt backwards, holding his Pokédex out in front of him like a shield. "What is _that?!_"

"h Poké, the Spirit Pokémon," droned Red's Pokédex. "A common sight near graveyards. Employs a powerful technique to drain energy from others."

"So that's it!" Red exclaimed as he backed up a little bit. "This thing's draining Orange's energy!"

"An h Poké, I should've guessed!" Violet exclaimed as she prepared a Poké Ball and threw it. "Go! Flutters!"

In a flash of light, Violet's Butterfree materialized. The Ghost/Poison-type shifted its attention to Flutters now, and Orange started to breathe a little easier.

"Poké..." h Poké uttered in a low, eerie, echoing voice. Suddenly, Flutters's wings flapped a little slower, and it started to get a listless look in its eyes.

"HM02- h Poké's special attack," stated Red's Pokédex. "A powerful move in which the user stealthily steals its opponent's energy and uses it for itself. There is no way to visually confirm usage of this attack."

"Come on, Flutters, hit it with Confusion!" Violet exclaimed.

"Freeeh... Freeeh..." panted Flutters as it fired off a pair of blue beams from its eyes.

"Po! Poké!" groaned h Poké as the super-effective Psychic-type attack connected. Flutters then seemed to regain a bit of strength, and was flapping its wings with renewed vigor. Once h Poké regained its balance, it then fired off a bolt of black energy from one of its corners, striking Flutters directly.

"Yeesh," Orange remarked weakly (he seemed to have regained a moderate amount of energy now, for he was now watching the battle). "That Night Shade looked like it hurt."

"Let's do it, Flutters!" said Violet. "Slow it down with String Shot!"

"Freeeheeeeheeh!" chattered Flutters as it let fly several strands of sticky, white string from its mouth, which wrapped around h Poké's cube-shaped form. h Poké groaned a little bit, then suddenly charged forward, tackling Flutters. The Take Down had taken both Butterfree and trainer by surprise, yet it didn't seem to do too much damage.

"Shake it off, Flutters, Sleep Powder now!" commanded Violet.

"Freeeh, freeeh!" Flutters replied as it soared above h Poké, scattering a blue dust with every flap of its wings. Slowly, the wild h Poké slumped to the floor, and echoing, eerie snores could be heard from it.

"Nice job, Vi," grinned Orange as he climbed to his feet. "Just as long as you don't-"

"Poké Ball, go!" Violet exclaimed as she heaved an empty Poké Ball with her right hand.

"...do exactly that," Orange finished lamely as the Spirit Pokémon was sucked into the ball. The sphere then fell to the floor where it wobbled back and forth, a red light blinking on and off on the button. It did this for several tense moments, and then finally fell still, giving off that telltale ping, which echoed around the room.

"OK, what the hell?" demanded Orange as Violet picked up the Poké Ball containing her new h Poké. "That thing just tried to kill me and you caught it?!"

"Well, now that Flutters happened to evolve into the one Bug-type you don't seem to be afraid of, I had to catch something else to keep you in line, now, didn't I?" smirked Violet.

"RRRRRGH!" was Orange's response.

"Orange, relax," chuckled Violet. "I'm not actually gonna let Tombstone harm you. Unless you got it coming, anyway."

"That's kinda scary, though, that HM02 move," said Red. "It can suck someone's energy away while appearing to not be doing anything."

"Agreed," Orange nodded with a shudder. "OK, perhaps we should get out of he-aaaaaaaaaaaaaah-OOF!"

"Orange?" Violet said as she and Red raced over to where Orange had been moments before; as it transpired, Orange had been aimlessly wandering around without looking where he was going, and had stumbled upon the stairs leading to the floor below, subsequently falling down them.

"You OK, Orange?" called Red.

"I'm OK... I'm OK..." Orange responded as he got up. "I'm- AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"What? What?" asked Red as he and Violet raced down the stairs- only to see exactly what.

Orange was shakily standing before a ghost. It was a dark purple form suspended in midair, with several wisps of lavender gas around it. Its wide eyes and diabolical grin were pure white, and it sported a pair of dark purple, disembodied hands with eerily long fingers, floating in front of its body. Red knew about a Pokémon called Haunter, but this certainly wasn't one. It didn't look like anything Red had ever seen before.

"Wh-wh-what is that?" Red whispered as he held out his Pokédex.

"Cannot identify," stated the machine. "Pokémon species unknown."

"Species unknown?" repeated Orange. "Wait... it couldn't actually be a ghost, could it?"

"The Pokédex said it was a Pokémon," said Violet. "It might not be able to identify it, but it's still a Pokémon." She took a Poké Ball out of her fanny pack and threw it. "Skulls, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, Violet's Koffing materialized, though its usual grin seemed slightly subdued at the sight of its opponent.

The ghost made the first move, if it could even be called that. Its white eyes flashed dangerously, and an eerie voice echoed around the entire floor, not seeming to come from any source in particular.

"_GET OUT... GET OUT..._" the voice rumbled.

"Skulls, Sludge attack now!" Violet ordered.

"Koff... Koff..." Skulls squeaked in response, backing slowly away from the menacing specter.

"Koffing's too scared to move," said Red. "OK, my turn," he added, as he threw a Poké Ball. "Charmeleon, you're up!"

Red's Charmeleon materialized in the dimly lit room, but upon spotting the ghost, all of its usual confidence seemed to drain out of it. Its tail drooped slightly, its eyes went wide with fear, and Red could've sworn that it looked paler.

"_GET OUT... GET OUT..._" the voice resounded once again.

"I'm inclined to do as the creepy, disembodied voice is telling us," Orange said in a slightly higher voice than normal.

Red and Violet nodded wordlessly and withdrew their Pokémon. Just then, another ghost appeared behind the first one. This new ghost looked like the first one exactly, except it was slightly larger. The trio exchanged uneasy glances, unsure what would happen to them. What did happen, however, was completely unexpected; the new ghost tapped the first one approximately where a human would have a shoulder. The ghost wheeled around, and seemed to be rather intimidated itself by the new presence. It floated off into the dark room rather quickly. The new ghost then approached the trio, but something about its grin seemed less malevolent than the one on the first ghost.

"Wait..." Orange said as he held out his Pokédex. "If this is what I think it is..."

"Missingno., the Data Pokémon," droned Orange's Pokédex. "Available in four different forms. In its ghostly and skeletal forms, Missingno. can learn most attacks and changes type constantly."

"I had a feeling," said Orange, now grinning feebly and chuckling weakly. "Missingno. can appear in four different forms. This ghostly form, obviously, two different forms that look like the skeletons of prehistoric Pokémon, and one that looks like 'M, only larger.

The Missingno. nodded, then pointed at the stairs with one long finger on its right disembodied hand.

"You want us to leave?" asked Violet.

Missingno. pointed at itself and shook its head. It then pointed into the dark depths of the room and nodded.

"So it's the other ghosts that want us to leave?" asked Red. Missingno. nodded at this.

"Missingno., why do the ghosts not want us here?" asked Violet. At this, Missingno.'s benevolent grin turned to a frown of concern. After a moment of apparent thought, it brought its hands together and formed a bright, glowing orb between them, then brought the orb close to the trio, so they could look inside it; indeed, a scene was unfolding within the orb, as if there was a tiny television inside it.

A group of light brown Pokémon wearing skulls as headgear and brandishing bones as weapons were running for their lives from a group of Team Error grunts. Another two were high-fiving each other as they admired the h Poké they had trapped in a cage. Violet could only assume the cage was somehow reinforced to prevent the Ghost/Poison-type from escaping. Finally, a group of Team Error grunts could be seen, with one of them holding a bloodstained skull in his hands.

The scene ended there, and the trio exchanged looks of shock and horror.

"Team Error!" they exclaimed simultaneously.

"Missingno., is this happening right now?" demanded Orange. "And if so, where?"

Missingno. nodded slowly and pointed to the floor.

"The bottommost level of Pokémon Tunnel, is that where it's happening?" asked Violet. Again, Missingno. nodded.

"That... that skull," Red muttered, his face having gone white. "W... what... did they..."

Missingno.'s right hand glowed pink as it pointed at Red's Pokédex, which suddenly came to life.

"Marowak, the Bone Keeper Pokémon, and the evolved form of Cubone," droned the machine. "Originally small and weak, it became more powerful when it started using bones as weapons."

Missingno. then drew the index finger of its right hand across its throat in a significant gesture. Everybody present understood what this meant.

"So they killed a Marowak?" Orange asked quietly.

Missingno. nodded once more. Missingno. then pointed to the floor again, where Red noticed that the shadows the group was casting were changing. All three of them payed close attention. First, one shadow took the shape of a Cubone's skull, another one took the shape of a Pokédollar sign, and the one in between them took the shape of an equal sign. Then the shadows changed to show a shadowy figure pursuing a fleeing Cubone. Then a shadowy Marowak appeared between the Cubone and the figure, giving the Cubone time to escape. The angered shadow figure then kicked the Marowak in the stomach, hard, causing it to fall over and not move.

"So it's all about the money," Orange growled. "I get it now. Team Error wants to make up for their pitiful salary, so they're stealing Cubone skulls to sell. Then that one Marowak got in their way, so they killed it."

"What can we do?" asked Red.

As an answer, Missingno. manipulated the shadows once more. Now it showed an angry, spectral Marowak waving its bone around and going on a rampage. Then it showed a shadowy figure call out a cube-shaped Pokémon, who blasted the Marowak shadow with what appeared to be BubbleBeam. The Marowak shadow fainted, but rose into the air again, now seeming to have calmed down, and then vanished.

"So... the Marowak's ghost?" asked Violet skeptically. Missingno. nodded.

"We have to calm the ghost down," said Orange. "If we beat the Marowak's ghost in battle, it'll calm down and move on, right?" This was answered by more nodding from Missingno.

"We'll do it," said Red. "We can't just leave the Marowak ghost like this."

"What about the other ghosts, Red?" asked Orange. "I don't think they'll be especially keen on us going down there." At that moment, another eerily disembodied voice sounded, though this one seemed decidedly less spooky than the one belonging to the ghost.

"I will accompany you," the voice echoed. "I will see to it that the ghosts in these tunnels bring no harm to you as you go to soothe the mother Marowak's restless spirit."

Decidedly in better spirits, Orange looked at Violet and Red, who were looking back at him. "Well, that works for me," he said. "Let's go!"

"Hold on," came Missingno.'s voice again. "I shall first heal your Pokémon. You will likely be facing Team Error down there as well, so it is best to be prepared." As it said this, Missingno.'s hands glowed pink, and the trio felt a slight tremble coming from their Poké Balls. Then, all was still once more, the glow fading from Missingno.'s hands.

"Thanks," said Red. Satisfied with this, Orange led the way across the room, towards a staircase which led to the floor below.

The trek through the tunnels was decidedly less frightening, now that the trio had Missingno. by their side. While numerous ghosts would approach them, their malevolent grins and eerie eyes startling the trainers every time, they would always flee once they spotted Missingno.

"It is through no fault of their own," explained Missingno. after the fourth or fifth time of this. "Marowak's rage is affecting the wild Pokémon in such a way that they take up these frightening facades and try to scare humans away. However, they know better than to mess with me."

At that moment, a figure approached them from out of the shadows. Red tensed up for a second before realizing that this one was a human- a Channeler, not unlike the one from the first floor. This one, however, had a blank look in her eyes.

"Leave... Now..." she demanded in an eerie, inhuman voice.

"She's possessed," Missingno. stated. "I was afraid of this. Channelers train their Ghost Pokémon in here while they attempt to channel the spirits of the deceased. Now they seem to be getting possessed by some of the more malevolent spirits in here."

As Missingno. was speaking, the Channeler produced a Poké Ball from her robes and threw it awkwardly. "Gastly... attack them..." she said.

In a flash of light, a Gastly materialized, facing the group.

"One of you should battle," suggested Missingno. "I cannot say for sure, but perhaps defeating her Pokémon would shock the spirit into leaving. It has worked like that in the past, it could work again."

"I'll do this," Violet said as she prepared a Poké Ball and threw it. "Tombstone, I choose you!"

The ball split open, and Violet's h Poké materialized. "Poké," it said in an echoing voice.

"Lick attack..." the Channeler said.

"Gaaaaastly!" replied the Gastly as a long tongue protruded from its mouth.

"Tombstone, use your Night Shade!" Violet ordered.

"h Poké!" shouted Tombstone as it fired off a bolt of black energy from one of its corners, striking the tongue. Gastly muffled in pain and withdrew the tongue into its mouth.

"Good job, Tombstone! Now use your Confuse Ray attack!" Violet commanded."

"h! Poké!" Tombstone exclaimed as the markings on its front seemed to melt, and a strange lavender light was cast onto Gastly, whose eyes immediately became unfocused.

"It's confused, very good," nodded Missingno.

"Finish it, Tombstone! Lick!" Violet exclaimed. One of the black block-like markings on Tombstone's front side slid open like a mouth, and a long, pink tongue emerged, slurping the dazed Gastly's face. The super effective Ghost-type move was too much for Gastly, who slumped to the floor, and, to general surprise, didn't phase through it.

The Channeler withdrew Gastly, shaking her head. Her eyes didn't look blank anymore. "Wh.. what just happened?" she asked. "I... I think I was possessed, but losing the battle caused the spirit to flee. Thank you," she said to Violet. Remarkably, she didn't appear too surprised at Missingno.'s presence.

"Not a problem," Violet replied as she withdrew her h Poké. "Happy to help."

"Please, you must help the Marowak's restless spirit," the Channeler pleaded. "She-"

"We already know," interrupted Orange. "We're going to do just that."

"Oh, thank you," said the Channeler. "Once the Marowak's spirit departs to the afterlife, the chaotic happenings in these tunnels should cease." She then stepped off to the side to allow the group to pass.

The next couple of floors went rather smoothly. Tombstone was given another opportunity to battle, and performed marvelously against another Channeler and her Gastly and Haunter; Red was able to make great use of Doduo's Peck and Charmeleon's Flamethrower to take out a Channeler's h Poké; and the team of Orange and Q proved to be sufficient to take out another Channeler's pair of Haunter.

As they approached a staircase, Missingno. stopped. "Here," he said. "This staircase leads to the lowest level. But there is a presence barring our path. If it's what I think it is..."

At that moment, however, the air before them shimmered, and then something seemed to materialize out of nowhere. It was a brown, bipedal Pokémon hovering in midair- it was a Marowak, but there were no eyes visible through the holes in its skull. The skull itself looked cracked in places, and was stained with blood.

"Yes," Missingno. confirmed. "This is it- the Marowak ghost."


	20. Fatal Error

"GET OUT... GET OUT..." came a low, echoing voice, seeming to resonate from the spectral Marowak's skull.

"Send out a Pokémon, one of you," Missingno. advised them. "As long as I'm blocking its frightening illusions, they won't be too scared to attack."

"Got it," nodded Orange as he tossed a Poké Ball. "I choose you, Q!"

In a flash of light, Orange's Q materialized. "Kyuuuu," it sang softly as it hovered in midair, right between Orange and the Marowak ghost.

The dead Marowak made the first move, zooming furiously through the air. She then swung the bloodstained bone gripped in her right hand and smacked Q with it. The Deep Sea Pokémon reeled from the Bone Club, but seemed relatively unhurt.

"Come on, Q," urged Orange. "Fight back with Double Kick!"

"Kyu kyu kyu kyuuuuu," replied Q as a pair of blocky feet sprouted out of its sides, one foot protruding from each side. Q then spun around in midair and charged at Marowak, kicking at it repeatedly. Marowak grunted as it was slammed by the Fighting-type move, and seemed to involuntarily let go of its bone. As the bone soared through the air and made an abrupt u-turn, however, Red began to suspect that this was an attack.

"Q, look out for the Bonemerang!" Orange shouted in alarm, but it was too late- the bone slammed into Q, and the Deep Sea Pokémon fell to the floor. Though it was able to get back into the air, it did so very unsteadily. Marowak wasn't finished, however; Orange only got as far as "Use BubbleBe-" before the deceased Marowak slammed its cracked, bloodstained skull into Q's body. The Headbutt attack was too much for the Water/Psychic-type to handle, and Q fainted on the spot.

"My turn," Violet stated as Orange withdrew Q. She threw a Poké Ball of her own and called out, "Migraine, go!"

The ball opened up, and Violet's Psyduck made its appearance, clutching its head as usual. "Psyduck psy," it said as it looked up at the ghostly Marowak, and then proceeded to slowly back up.

"Come on, Migraine," said Violet. "Hit it with your Water Gun attack!"

"Psy! Psy aye aye aye aye aye aye!" Migraine replied as it unleashed a stream of water from its mouth. Marowak deflected the attack by holding the bone in front of it and spinning it around rapidly, diffusing the stream and sending the water flying in every direction.

"Don't give up, Migraine!" Violet encouraged her Psyduck. "Try Submission!"

"Psy! Duck!" grunted Migraine as it lunged at the Marowak and wrestled the surprisingly solid specter to the floor. Marowak was caught off-guard and for a moment could do nothing as the headache-prone Water-type wrestled with it. When the Psyduck let go, Marowak floated back into the air, looking rather worn, but still able to fight. Migraine wasn't looking so hot either, the recoil damage from the Submission attack clearly presenting itself. Marowak then threw its bone forcefully towards Migraine.

"Migraine, deflect it with your head!" Violet ordered.

"Smart move," Orange remarked approvingly.

Migraine ducked down, putting its head in the path of the bone. However, a purple light appeared to flash in Marowak's eye sockets for a second, and the bone swerved almost comically in midair, missing Migraine's head completely. Before anyone could react to this, the bone returned, striking the Psyduck right in the back, knocking it to the floor.

"Oh, come on, that was cheating!" Violet protested.

Marowak then dove down and swiftly delivered a Headbutt attack, sending Migraine skidding backwards, where it stopped at Violet's feet, unconscious.

"Migraine!" Violet exclaimed in concern.

"Let me try," Red offered, as he threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Raticate!"

In a flash of light, Red's Raticate materialized, front teeth bared as usual as it glared at its deceased opponent.

Marowak made the first move as she dove in for a Headbutt attack, streaking down towards Raticate.

"Raticate! Water Gun!" Red ordered.

"Raaaati... caaaaaaaaaaaaate!" Raticate screeched as it unleashed a forceful stream of water from its mouth, striking the Ground-type directly. This slowed the Ground-type considerably until she pulled out of the Headbutt attack, just to evade the Water Gun.

"OK, Raticate, use your Quick Attack now!" Red commanded.

"Raaaaaticate!" replied the Normal-type as it darted forward at blinding speeds, and leapt into the air- at which point Marowak swung its bone like a baseball bat, sending Raticate flying in the opposite direction, crashing to the floor. Before Red could react, Marowak swooped down and delivered another Headbutt, this one decidedly more successful than the last, as it sent Raticate skidding across the floor, coming to rest at Red's feet, knocked out.

"Now what?" Orange asked nervously as Red recalled Raticate.

"GET OUT... GET OUT... BEGONE... INTRUDERS..." came the low, echoing voice once again. Though clearly unnerved by this, Red, Orange, and Violet simultaneously each readied a Poké Ball... and then Missingno. floated forwards, hovering between Marowak and the trio.

"I believe it's my turn, now," Missingno. said. "Red, you command me."

"Why Red?" Orange asked.

"I feel this would be a good learning experience for him," replied Missingno. "His first opportunity to battle using a Pokémon native to Tanko, such as myself. Red, your Pokédex should provide you a list of my moves."

Red consulted his Pokédex, and his eyes widened as he scrolled through the screen. "This... This is a lot of attacks," he remarked weakly.

"I've been around," Missingno. replied modestly. "Longer than most of my kind. I pick things up along the way. Attacks, attacks, more attacks... the power of human speech... That sort of thing."

"Well, OK, then," Red said with a trace of uncertainty in his voice as he continued to scroll through the sizable list of Missingno.'s moves. "Um... OK, Missingno., use your Water Gun attack."

"Let's get this party started," Missingno. replied as it blasted a stream of water from its mouth, which Marowak had to swoop down to evade before throwing its bone at Missingno.

"Missingno., try your Double Team attack!" Red called out as the Bonemerang flew ever closer. In response, illusory copies of Missingno.'s ghostly form materialized out of thin air, the clones surrounding the Marowak ghost. The Bonemerang passed through what was obviously a Double Team copy, right where Missingno. had been seconds before, as the clone vanished as the attack hit. Marowak caught its bone, and glanced around in all directions, trying to identify the real Missingno.

"Now's your chance, Red," hissed Orange.

"Missingno.! Petal Dance now!" Red ordered.

"I'm on it," came the reply as Missingno., and all of its copies, proceeded to spin around in place. Then, a large quantity of pink flower petals materialized seemingly out of nowhere, surrounding all the Missingno., and then suddenly flew at Marowak, the floral assault coming from all directions. Marowak gave a creepy, echoing groan as the Grass-type attack met its mark. Once the Missingno. all stopped spinning, they looked rather dizzy.

"...Whoa..." Missingno. said in a dazed voice. "That... wild move... Whooo... Yeesh... I... I aim for the one in... in the middle, right?"

"Missingno. is confused," Violet remarked. "Petal Dance will do that to you."

"I figured it'd be enough to take Marowak out," Red sighed. Just then, Marowak charged one of the Missingno. with a Headbutt attack, but merely passed through another copy.

"Missingno., use your Ice Punch!" Red commanded.

"Punch... Ice... Got it, boss..." mumbled Missingno. as a sizable chunk of frost formed over its right fist. Missingno. raised the fist high... and brought it down on its own head, as its copies all mimicked this action. Orange facepalmed.

"It hurt itself in its confusion," Red said.

"Yeah, you think?" snapped Orange.

"Wha... Whoa!" Missingno. exclaimed suddenly, its voice no longer sounding dazed. "OK, I'm good now. We're good."

"Looks like that Ice Punch did one good thing," Violet remarked. "Snapped Missingno. right out of it."

"Sorry about that," Missingno. said as Marowak took a swipe with her bone, wiping out another Double Team clone. "Petal Dance always leaves me reeling for a while."

"It's fine, as long as you're OK," said Red. "Now use Ice Punch, OK?"

"Will do," agreed Missingno. as its fist charged up with ice once again. This time, Missingno. plowed the icy fist right into the Marowak's stomach, and the ghostly Ground-type fell to the floor, where she seemed to be struggling to rise into the air.

"Should we finish it?" Red asked, noting the specter's pitiful condition.

"She'll only get angrier if we leave her like this," responded Missingno.

Red nodded. "Then use your Hyper Beam."

Missingno. nodded back, then turned around and opened its mouth wide, creating an orb of brilliant golden energy within. Then, a beam of the same kind of energy exploded forth from the orb, slamming into the Marowak ghost, and plowing it into the floor. When the beam vanished, however, so did the ghost!

"What the-" began Orange, but he was cut short as the Marowak ghost rematerialized before them, floating in midair- though now her eyes were visible, and her bone hung limply from her hand at her side. She gazed at the trio plus Missingno. for a few seconds, then bowed her head and floated upwards, her form looking more and more transparent, until it vanished completely before it reached the ceiling. A silence followed this occurrence.

"...So," Orange said at length, "does that mean that she-"

"She has passed on," nodded Missingno. "The Marowak's spirit has departed to the afterlife."

A brief silence followed this statement. Indeed, even the atmosphere in the tunnel was starting to feel a little lighter.

"So what now?" asked Red.

Just then, they could hear a commotion coming from the floor below them- minor arguments breaking out, in which the words "...no, we are Team Error, damn it, we have no use for the rest of the Cubone!" could be clearly heard.

"That answer your question?" said Orange as he started down the stairs.

"Best of luck to you all," Missingno. stated. "I will not follow- should those fools learn that my kind can be found in this place, it will only strengthen their resolve. Besides, I have complete confidence in the three of you." After saying this, Missingno. disappeared into thin air while Red and Violet followed Orange down the stairs.

"OK, you Team Error slimeballs!" Orange exclaimed as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

In response, half a dozen men in purple and orange outfits slowly turned to face Orange, who was swiftly accompanied by Red and Violet.

"Hey!" exclaimed one of the grunts suddenly. "Aren't they those meddling kids that screwed with our plans at Moon Canyon?!"

"They are!" another grunt confirmed. "Hey, I owe you three a good thrashing! The boss took that failure out of our salaries!"

"Yeah, yeah, whine about it to someone who cares," said Orange. "Now stop going after those Cubone, and let go all the Pokémon you're stealing!"

"It ain't stealing, they're wild Pokémon!" one of the grunts objected.

"It is if you don't use Poké Balls to catch them," retorted Violet.

"Which brings us back to the whole salary problem-"

"OK, OK, we get it," Red interrupted. "Just back off before we force you to!"

"Heh," sneered a grunt as he took a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it to its full size. "He says that like he actually expects us to listen to him."

"Oh, I didn't expect you to listen," Red replied as he too readied a Poké Ball. "I just didn't want to waste my Pokémon's time against you clowns if I didn't have to. Doduo!" he shouted as he threw the ball.

"Tombstone!" yelled Violet as she also threw a ball.

"Go, Nidoking!" exclaimed Orange as he launched another Poké Ball.

The balls opened up, and in triple flashes of light, there appeared Red's Doduo, Violet's h Poké, and Orange's Nidoking. Several of the grunts let out low hisses at the sight of Doduo and Nidoking, but all six of them readied Poké Balls of their own, one for each grunt, and they threw them all at once. Bright light filled the chamber, momentarily blinding everyone present, and once it faded, there were three .4, an LM4, a pPkMnp, and an 'M, all hovering between the trio's Pokémon and the Team Error grunts (except for LM4, who sat on the concrete floor).

"OK, so that's how we're doing it, then?" Violet asked as she took another Poké Ball and held it up, with Red and Orange mirroring this action (except they took theirs off their belts, whereas Violet extracted hers from her fanny pack). "OK, then. Chompy, go get them!"

"Charmeleon, go!" Red shouted.

"I choose you, Q!" exclaimed Orange.

Three more flashes of light, and another trio of Pokémon appeared- their starter Pokémon; Orange's Q, Red's Charmeleon, and Chompy, Violet's Weepinbell.

"Attack!" the grunts shouted as one.

"Use TM28!" three of the grunts yelled simultaneously.

"LM4, Rolling Kick!"

"pPkMnp, use Sludge!"

"'M, Water Gun now!"

"Chompy! Razor Leaf attack now!" Violet called. "And Tombstone, use HM02- take your pick of any of your opponents!"

"Charmeleon, hit pPkMnp with your Flamethrower!" shouted Red. "Doduo, go in there with a Skull Bash!"

"Nidoking, a Rolling Kick!" ordered Orange. "Q, use your Confusion attack!"

The melee ensued. The trio of .4 zipped forward and promptly exploded, though this did not deter Doduo, who leapt forward, smashing its heads into two of the .4, sending them flying right into a wall. Though they were both still conscious, they flew forward rather shakily now. The third .4, meanwhile, was looking slightly paler as it slowly descended to the ground, cluing Violet in on who Tombstone chose as the target of its HM02 attack.

Chompy, Violet's Weepinbell, moved next, swinging its leaves wildly and sending razor-edged foliage flying at its adversaries- the LM4 that sprouted a foot and was currently spinning its way towards Charmeleon took the brunt of the Grass-type move, and crashed to the floor. Charmeleon grinned its appreciation of this, then blasted a stream of fire from its mouth, colliding with pPkMnp's Sludge attack.

In the air, 'M was moving around, trying to strike down Nidoking with Water Gun, but the Poison/Ground-type was moving too quickly, trying to take out its adversary with a Rolling Kick. 'M was evading these kicks with ease, and the two appeared to be at a stalemate. Then, a ray of blue light struck 'M in the back, causing the Shoreline Pokémon to shriek in pain. This also had the added effect of distracting it as Nidoking plowed its foot into the Bird/Normal-type, sending it crashing down to the floor.

While the fight was unquestionably going well for the good guys, Team Error was by no means ready to give in yet. Two of the .4 were still able to fight, though clearly lacking most of their usual energy, and Charmeleon and pPkMnp were still matching Flamethrower with Sludge.

"OK, Charmeleon!" Red exclaimed. "Slash attack now!"

"Char!" growled Charmeleon as it stopped its Flamethrower, leapt out of the way of the Sludge attack, and took a vicious swipe at the Fortress Pokémon with the now-glowing claws on its right hand. In spite of the Poison-type's formidable Defense, it fell to the floor as the attack landed, and moved no more. Then, Chompy leapt into the air, grabbed one of the .4 with its leaves, and forcefully threw it down to the floor before expertly landing next to it.

"Cool," Orange remarked as the Weepinbell looked rather pleased with itself. "What was that move?"

"That was a Slam attack," Violet replied, a grin creeping up her face. "Chompy's learned Slam!"

"Bell bell Weepinbell," Chompy added proudly.

"Gah!" one of the grunts exclaimed. "Enough of this! .4, take them all out! TM09 now!"

"No you don't!" Violet exclaimed. "Chompy! Razor Leaf!"

"Charmeleon! Flamethrower!" Red called out.

"Q! BubbleBeam!" shouted Orange.

Their orders, alas, came far too late, as the grunt's .4 let off a catastrophic explosion, blasting everyone backwards. As Violet hit the floor with a thud, she felt something fall out of her still-open fanny pack, but in the dust cloud the explosion caused, she couldn't see what it was. For a moment, all was still and quiet. Red, Orange, and Violet slowly climbed to their feet, each of them checking for injuries and thankfully finding none. The dust was far from settling, though, and they were all concerned for their Pokémon. And then, suddenly, rays of bright yellow light started shining through the dust cloud.

"Wait... What- I think one of our Pokémon is evolving," Red stated as he squinted, trying to see the evolving Pokémon through the dust. This squinting was made unnecessary, however, as the dust finally started to settle, revealing not one, but two glowing figures, changing shape and size. Before Violet could conduct a quick headcount of the present Pokemon to determine which ones were evolving, the glowing stopped, revealing the pair of newly evolved Pokémon. One was an upside-down yellow bell with a pair of leaves that seemed to function as arms. A large leaf sat atop the mouthlike opening, though did not hide the four vicious fangs it now sported. From the stem of the leaf sprouted a thick, brown vine. The other one was a majestic orange dragon with large wings, and a roaring fire on the tip of its tail. The former screeched menacingly while the latter roared triumphantly.

"Chompy?!" Violet exclaimed. "So it was the Leaf Stone that fell out of my fanny pack!"

"Ch-Charizard..." Red murmured, awestruck by the sight.

"Chompy and Charmeleon evolved!" Orange exclaimed as Red and Violet dug out their Pokédexes and pointed them at their newly evolved starters.

"Victreebel, the Flycatcher Pokémon, and the evolved form of Weepinbell," droned Violet's Pokédex. "Though rumored to live in colonies deep in the jungle, nobody who has gone to investigate has returned to confirm this. Anything it swallows is digested within a day."

"Charizard, the Flame Pokémon, and the evolved form of Charmeleon," said Red's Pokédex. "Spits fire hot enough to melt boulders. Has been known to accidentally start forest fires."

The Team Error grunts exchanged slightly panicked glances as every single one of them withdrew their unconscious Pokémon. Orange withdrew Nidoking, as he had not been lucky enough to escape the blast unscathed, but Charizard and Chompy both looked ready and raring to fight, along with Q.

"...We should go," one of the grunts said meekly.

"Not so fast," Violet grinned. "You guys aren't going anywhere until you let every single Pokémon you got in cages go free. And those Cubone skulls? Don't even think about taking those with you."

"And what if we don't want to?" one of the grunts asked defiantly before being slapped upside the head by one of his colleagues.

"Don't want to? OK," shrugged Red. "Charizard, use your Flamethro-"

"OK, OK, we'll do it, yeesh!" the grunt snapped.

Red, Violet, and Orange oversaw the grunts as they grudgingly unlocked each and every cage lining the walls, letting all the h Poké trapped within go free. The Victreebel frisked them, checking their pockets with its vine and retrieving countless Cubone skulls. There were no Cubone anywhere around, skull-less or otherwise, however, so the skulls merely piled up on the floor next to Chompy. Once the grunts had all grudgingly filed up the stairs, Red noticed the figure of an old man, kneeling before a tombstone at the far end of the room.

"Hey," Red called out to the man. "Excuse me, who are you?"

Slowly, the man lifted his head, stood up, and turned to face the trio. "Ah," he said. "Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself. You can call me Mr. Ujif. I must commend the three of you for forcing those Team Error folks to leave this place. I came here to pray for Marowak's spirit... it seems that she is finally at peace."

"And the Cubone-" began Orange, but Mr. Ujif bowed his head somberly.

"The ones whose skulls were stolen, they did not survive," he said quietly. "I buried them myself- Team Error had no objections to this, all they cared for were the skulls. I have not yet filled in the graves, so I can add the skulls now... I think you three should head out. Go to the Pokémon Center and get some rest, it has likely been a trying day for you."

"I'll say," Orange replied. "All this has been a lot to handle... Ghosts, and everything..."

"Tell you what, stop by my house tomorrow morning," Mr. Ujif offered. "I will be able to thank you all properly then."

"Sure," Violet responded. "OK, c'mon, let's go, you two."

The ascent back up Pokémon Tunnel was far easier than the descent. No possessed Channelers barred their path, no unruly ghosts tried to tangle with them, and the atmosphere, while still noticeably somber, was definitely lighter than it had been before. Once they were back outside, it took the group all of seven minutes to locate the Pokémon Center- as it transpired, it was right down the street, and they had in fact walked right past it, which Violet and Orange were quick to blame on each other. After they had all eaten a good dinner and healed their Pokémon, night had fallen. The trio were just getting ready to go to sleep on the bunk beds provided by the room they had taken for the night.

"OK, so what's the plan for tomorrow?" Red asked.

"After we visit Mr. Ujif, I'm thinking we head right for Nodacel City," said Orange. "If we start early, the Gym Leader should be able to get in a battle with at least one of us tomorrow."

"That's a pretty long walk," Violet remarked. "You sure we'll have enough time tomorrow?"

"Sure I'm sure," Orange said confidently. "With me leading the way, what could go wrong? Don't answer that," he added sternly as Violet opened her mouth. Chuckling at this exchange, Red popped his earplugs into his ears and dozed off to sleep, though he was so tired out by the day's events that he doubted that even Orange's cacophonous snoring would be sufficient to wake him.


	21. The Rematch With Red

The next morning went by with little event. Orange woke the other two up at around 5:00 AM, insisting that they needed to get going if they were to reach Nodacel Gym today. Groggily, Red woke up and looked over as Violet was glaring over at Orange, clearly wanting nothing more at the moment than to smack him upside the head for waking them up at such an unMewly hour.

Once they had eaten their breakfast (with Orange and Violet having their usual argument over whether or not the latter was an evenetarian), the trio headed out.

"OK, which way was it to Mr. Ujif's house?" asked Red.

"This way," Orange said confidently as he turned right and started walking. Red made to follow him, but Violet put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. Red turned to look at Violet questioningly, and in response, she pointed to the sign on the house next to the Pokémon Center (the exact opposite of where Orange was going), which seemed to be made of rusty sheet metal, with the words "Mr. Ujif's house" carved into it. Minutes later, Orange returned, fuming mad. "You know, one of you could have told me I was going the wrong way!" he snapped.

"Yeah, but the way you tend to not listen to anyone, I figured it'd be a waste of breath," chuckled Violet as she led the way up to the dying hedge that seemed to serve as a door. Red hesitated, then gingerly knocked on the suffering shrubbery. Within moments, it swung open, and Mr. Ujif was standing there in the doorway.

"Ah, hello," he said. "Please, please, come in." Violet followed him inside, with Red and Orange following.

The inside of Mr. Ujif's house was at odds with the general feel of Vandeler Town, in that it was brightly lit and almost cheerful. Red noticed a number of Pokémon roaming around the single room- a Psyduck was waddling around, an LM4 swam in a large tank of water over in a corner, and there was also a Venonat wandering around, looking up curiously at the newcomers.

"These were abandoned by their trainers," explained Mr. Ujif. "I take in any abandoned Pokémon I find and help nurse them back to health. I have volunteers who come in and help me with this, but it's rather early, none of them are here just yet. Anyway, once the Pokémon are back to full health, I give them the option to leave if they should choose... some of them do leave, but some of them prefer to stay with me. This Venonat here in particular doesn't want to leave at all. And then, sometimes you get those trainers who didn't abandon their Pokémon, but instead were accidentally separated from them. I get some of those stopping by on rare occasions, and their Pokémon are always so happy to be reunited with them. Ah, yes, but I don't think I got your names?"

"I'm Violet," said Violet. "This is Red, and Mr. Early Bird over here is Orange."

"A pleasure," Mr. Ujif replied courteously. "Now then, I wanted to thank you three for your actions in the Tunnel last night. Come over here." He led them over to a small wooden desk, where he opened a drawer and withdrew three items from within. "These items should be rather helpful to you three on your journey." He handed a gray disc to Violet, a Poké Ball with a yellow and black top to Red, and what appeared to be an odd cross between a Poké Ball and a flute to Orange.

"That is Hidden Machine number two," Mr. Ujif explained. "It will teach Fly to any Pokémon able to learn it. Unlike Technical Machines, Hidden Machines, or HMs, are reusable. A Pokémon with Fly will be able to safely and comfortably transport passengers across the skies, and it is also a useful technique in battles. Red, I gave you an Ultra Ball. It's a rather rare item, an improvement on the regular Poké Ball, even surpassing the Great Ball. It has a much better chance of catching a wild Pokémon. And Orange, that is a Poké Flute. Any sleeping Pokémon that hears it will wake up instantly."

"Thanks," Red grinned as he placed the Ultra Ball in his backpack.

"Er... yes, thanks," Violet said as she looked at her newly acquired HM, though the idea of a Flying-type propelling her through the air did not excite her, to say the least.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Orange as he accepted the Poké Flute. "I've heard of these! Lemme try-" and he took the flute and tried to play a tune on it. Immediately, Red was subjected to the most horribly, off-key, out of tune screeching it has ever been his displeasure to have slither its way into his ears, and that was counting Orange's snoring. Red and Violet clapped their hands over their ears immediately, while Mr. Ujif didn't seem to react to it.

"Oh my Mew, stop it!" Violet bellowed, though Orange didn't seem to hear her. As she realized that her shouts were falling on deaf ears, this seemed to annoy her, for she then kicked him in the shin. This got him to stop.

"Ow!" Orange exclaimed, clearly annoyed. "What the hell was that for, Vi?!"

"'What was that for'?" Violet repeated incredulously. "Could you not hear yourself? You're a musical menace! I've heard Screech attacks that were easier on the ears!"

In response, Orange held the Poké Flute back up to his mouth again and resumed playing, this time gleefully taking in Violet's reaction. This lasted several seconds before Violet suddenly reached out and swiped the Poké Flute from Orange's hands. "Hey!" Orange exclaimed. "Give that back!"

"Sure," smirked Violet. "As long as you never play it again. Ever."

"Well, what's the point of that?!" Orange spluttered. "What the hell, Vi?! I'm not that bad!"

"No, you're not- you're worse," retorted Violet. "Now promise me you won't play it or I'll feed it to Chompy."

"Fine!" Orange snapped. "I won't never play it again, happy?"

"Try again," said Violet. "Think you can slip a double negative past me like that?"

Orange grumbled under his breath, and finally, with gritted teeth, hissed, "Fine. I will never play it again. I promise."

"There, now, was that so hard?" said Violet, smugly grinning at Orange's furious expression.

"Of course it was!" Orange roared as he took his Poké Flute back and stuffed it deep into the depths of his bag. "C'mon, let's get moving, we want to get to Nodacel City today, don't we?"

"Ah, is that dreadful noise over?" Mr. Ujif asked suddenly, adjusting an unseen something in his left ear. "I turned my hearing aid off once you started playing, Orange."

Orange scowled as Violet flashed an "I told you so" kind of look to him, and grumbled his goodbyes to Mr. Ujif. Red and Violet also bid him farewell and followed him out of the house.

They walked down the drab and dismal streets of Vandeler Town, and after some time, found themselves on a noticeably brighter and less depressing road, albeit one that appeared to be made of an odd combination of rocky patches of land, tufts of tall grass, square puddles of water, and a bunch of 3s and 8s, with two or three freeze arches strewn around the area. It seemed to lead right out of town.

"Alright," grinned Orange, already in noticeably better spirits. "We should be on Route -8 right now. This'll lead us to Fansfor City, and we should be able to take the bridge over that unless we can reason with the gatekeeper... " Orange snorted in laughter at the idea. "Like that'll happen," he added.

"We gotta try, at least," Violet stated, a faint note of desperation in her voice.

"Oh, yeah, right, you don't like heights, do you, Vi?" smirked Orange.

"Orange?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"We'll try the guardhouse first, though, anyway, right?" asked Red. "I mean, if there's a Gym in Fansfor City, we'll need to get in there at some point anyway."

"Good point," conceded Orange as he turned around to continue going forwards. "I guess- WHOA!" For standing right in front of Orange was a boy who looked to be roughly Red's age, maybe a little older. He was clad in a brown t-shirt and matching pants, and his black hair was spiked up.

"We meet again, Red," smirked the boy.

"Who are you?" demanded Orange.

"Oh, yeah... Terrence, right?" asked Violet. "From the S.S. Nean?"

"Yeah, that's him," nodded Red. "What's up, Terrence?"

"What's up is that I want a rematch," Terrence stated. "Three Pokémon each sound good to you?"

Red shrugged. "Sure thing," he replied.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Orange interrupted. "We don't have time for that sort of thing! Red, have you already forgotten what we're hoping to get done today? Nodacel Gym?"

"It's still morning," Red replied. "We got time for a battle."

"That's what I like to hear!" Terrence exclaimed, grinning widely. "And you're going down this time, Red- you're going down hard!"

"We'll see about that," Red retorted. "Violet, could you please referee this?"

"Sure," Violet replied. "Oh, lighten up," she added as Orange scowled at her. "If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't gonna side with you in this one in any case."

"That doesn't make me feel better at all," snapped Orange.

"Yeah, didn't really think it would," Violet smirked.

Red and Terrence set a good distance between them as Violet stood at the sidelines, glancing between the two trainers as each of them prepared a Poké Ball.

"Three-on-three Pokémon battle between Red and Terrence is about to get underway," she announced. "Begin!"

"Sandslash! Go!" shouted Terrence as he heaved his Poké Ball.

"I choose you, Raticate!" bellowed Red.

In twin flashes of light, Red's Raticate appeared, along with a sand-colored creature with sharp white claws on its hands, and a mass of brown spikes all along its back. Red took out his Pokédex and pointed it at Terrence's Pokémon.

"Sandslash, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Sandshrew," droned the device. "Curls into a ball when threatened. It is skilled at slashing with its sharp claws."

"Sandslash! Fury Swipes!" ordered Terrence.

"Raticate! Water Gun!" Red commanded.

As Sandslash brandished its long and viciously curved claws and ran towards Raticate, the Normal-type responded with a forceful jet of water from its mouth.

"Slaaaaash!" exclaimed Sandslash as it held its claws up to its face in an effort to block the super effective attack.

"Come on, Sandslash!" yelled Terrence. "Fight back with Poison Sting!"

"Quick Attack now!" said Red.

Sandslash leapt into the air, curled into a ball, and started rolling in place, causing multiple glowing purple needles to fly off its body. Raticate began dashing around, zigzagging back and forth, and changing directions constantly to evade the shower of spikes. Finally, it sprung up into the air and tackled Sandslash at great speeds, knocking it to the ground.

"Sandslash, Dig!" Terrence commanded.

"Raticate, quick, use Hyper Fang!" Red ordered.

Sandslash started to tear at the ground with its claws, but Raticate got to it in time and sank its prominent front teeth into one of its arms. Though Sandslash managed to shake Raticate off, it still slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"OK, Sandslash is unable to battle, so Raticate wins," declared Violet.

"Damn it!" exclaimed Terrence, holding out the Poké Ball. "Sandslash, return now!" Once Sandslash had been withdrawn, Terrence produced and threw another ball. "Let's go, Graveler!"

In a flash of light, what appeared to be a large, living boulder materialized. It stood on two stumpy feet, and possessed four arms, though two of them were drastically smaller than the other two.

"Water Gun now!" Red shouted.

"Graveler, Tackle it!" commanded Terrence.

"Graveler," growled Graveler as it folded in its arms and rolled forward, forcing its way through the stream of water Raticate was blasting it with.

"Dodge it!" Red shouted.

Immediately, Raticate stopped its Water Gun attack and darted out of the way, successfully evading Graveler's Tackle. Then, on Red's command, Raticate opened its mouth and let loose with another Water Gun. Graveler, however, was able to roll right out of the way of this one.

"Do it! Double-Edge now!" Terrence roared.

"Graveler!" exclaimed the Rock/Ground-type as it increased the speed of its rolling and slammed into Raticate from the side, sending the Rat Pokémon skidding across the rocks, grass, and numbers. Raticate came to rest at Red's feet, clearly unconscious.

"Raticate can't continue," ruled Violet. "Graveler is the winner!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" grinned Terrence as Red withdrew his unconscious Raticate. "Next victim, Red!"

"Next? Sure," Red replied as he readied a Poké Ball. "But victim? I don't think so," he added as he launched the ball forward. "Parasect! Go!" he shouted, and in a flash of light, the Mushroom Pokémon materialized, scuttling forward, ready for action.

"Hah!" Terrence laughed. "Too easy! Rock Throw, Graveler! Now!"

"Grav Graveler grav!" rumbled Graveler as four glowing brown stones materialized, one in each of its hands. It then threw the rocks towards Parasect with great force.

"Parasect, Bide!" Red commanded.

"Sect!" hissed Parasect as it folded in its claws and focused hard, a faint white glow taking over its entire body. Even the rocks slamming into its large mushroom didn't break its focus.

"Crap..." muttered Terrence. "Don't attack anymore, not just yet," he added. "Use Harden!"

"Graveler," replied Graveler as its entire body took on a silver metallic shine for a brief second. At that moment, Parasect hissed loudly and fired off a massive white beam of energy from its entire body, which plowed into Graveler, sending it rolling backwards. Terrence jumped out of the way as Graveler rolled right over where he had been standing moments before, and then the Rock/Ground-type crashed into what appeared to be a large tree shoddily constructed out of sheet metal and roof shingles. Violet glanced over at the Graveler, now as unmoving as actual rock, and called out her ruling.

"OK, looks like Graveler's out of the match," she declared. "Parasect wins this round."

"Mew damn it!" Terrence spat as he returned Graveler to its Poké Ball. "OK, that does it! I! Will! Not! Lose!" he exclaimed as he took a third Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it. "Nidorina, I choose you!" he bellowed as he threw the ball.

In a flash of light, the pale blue form of Terrence's Nidorina appeared. Parasect and Nidorina glared across the battlefield at each other, ready for action.

"Parasect, use your Leech Life attack!" Red commanded.

"Para para Parasect!" Parasect hissed as it scuttled forward as fast as its small legs would carry it, its tiny fangs glowing green.

"Nidorina! Ice Beam!" roared Terrence.

"Rinaaaaaa!" screeched Nidorina as she opened her mouth wide and formed a light blue orb within. Then, from the orb exploded forth a dazzling beam of light blue, which struck Parasect's mushroom, causing thick patches of ice to form all over, spreading rapidly to cover its entire body. Parasect tried to muscle through the Ice Beam, but the super effective Ice-type move was far too much for the Bug/Grass-type to handle, and Parasect slumped to the ground in defeat.

"Parasect's unable to battle!" Violet declared. "Nidorina wins!"

"You did good, Parasect," sighed Red as he withdrew the Mushroom Pokémon. "Take a good rest." As he stowed Parasect's Poké Ball back on his belt, he took another ball and enlarged it. Pausing only to flash a confident grin across the battlefield, Red turned his hat backwards before throwing the sphere. "I choose you, Charizard!" Red exclaimed as the ball split open, unleashing the majestic Fire/Flying-type. Red's Charizard, upon fully forming from the burst of light, gave a loud roar, landed on the ground, and glanced down at the Nidorina it had fought some time ago.

"Not bad," Terrence remarked, nodding. "So your Charmeleon evolved. Cool. But not enough! Nidorina! Water Gun!"

"Charizard, use your Flamethrower!" Red commanded.

"Ri-naaaaaaaaa!" Nidorina bellowed as she unleashed a blast of water from its mouth. Charizard responded with a roar as a stream of flames exploded forth from its mouth. Unlike the evenly matched attacks from their initial battle, however, Charizard's Flamethrower overpowered the Water Gun completely- so hot were the flames that the Water Gun evaporated on contact, resulting in a lot of steam obscuring Red's view of Nidorina. He therefore didn't see as Terrence dug into his pocket and gently tossed something at Nidorina. He did, however, see the sudden bright light cutting through the steam. As the steam vanished, Red could see that the bright light was coming off of Nidorina as she changed shape and size- Nidorina was evolving.

"Hey, you can't make your Pokémon evolve in the middle of battle like that!" Orange exclaimed.

"Wrong as usual, Orange," said Violet. "It's usually frowned upon, but it is in fact not against Pokémon League regulations to use evolution stones on one's Pokémon during a battle."

As Violet said this, the glowing ceased, and a dark blue beast stood in Nidorina's place, built similarly to a Nidoking. The new Pokémon opened her mouth and gave a deep roar. Red took out his Pokédex, opened it up, and pointed it at this newest adversary.

"Nidoqueen, the Drill Pokémon, and the evolved form of Nidorina," droned the device. "Its hard scales provide strong protection. It uses its hefty bulk to execute powerful moves."

"Charizard, Flamethrower now!" Red commanded.

"Nidoqueen, Thunderbolt now!" shouted Terrence.

Both Pokémon roared loudly as they launched their respective attacks. A stream of fire was unleashed from Charizard's mouth as Nidoqueen launched a sizzling bolt of lightning from her body. The attacks connected at the same time. Charizard struggled as electricity coursed through its body, but stubbornly continued its fiery onslaught. Nidoqueen roared in pain as the flames ravaged her body, but continued to give off electricity. Once both Pokémon finished, they stood in place, eyeing each other warily, both of them charred and smoking. Then, after a long and tense silence, Nidoqueen slumped to the ground.

"Nidoqueen cannot continue! Red and Charizard are the winners!" Violet declared.

"GAAAAAAH!" roared Terrence as he held out the Poké Ball and withdrew Nidoqueen. "That's twice you've beaten me now, Red, but mark my words, THIS IS NOT OVER!" Without waiting for a response, he wheeled around and stormed off in the opposite direction, only to trip on a rock and stumble to the ground. Though Red stepped forward to offer to help him up, Terrence got to his feet by himself and turned back to face the group. "I may have tripped, but that does _not_ diminish the impact of this exit!" he snapped before storming off once more, this time actually looking where he was walking.

Orange shook his head and made a disapproving noise as Red withdrew Charizard. "What a sore loser!" he said. Red and Violet exchanged exasperated glances at this, but nobody pushed the subject as they continued their walk.

"That was a pretty good battle, though, Red," Violet said.

"Yeah, gotta hand it to you, Red," Orange added. "Charizard's pretty powerful."

"Thanks, guys," Red smiled. "I just hope I do this well against the Nodacel Gym Leader."

"Well, might not be much longer before you find out," Orange stated as they came to a large building which seemed to be constructed out of concrete slabs, roofing shingles, chunks of rock, and pine cones. On either side of the building, a solid, if strange, fence constructed out of wooden planks, sixes, twos, and entire tree limbs, leaves and all. There was no way around the building, except for a staircase that seemed to be made entirely out of aluminum siding. The staircase seemed to lead to a bridge which stretched for a considerable distance. Violet barely suppressed a shudder at the sight, and instead led the way into the building.

Inside the building, there were merely two counters on either side of a single path leading to the opposite end. Behind one of the counters was a slightly overweight security guard. As soon as he noticed the trio, he shook his head. "Sorry, kids," he said. "Road's closed."

"Why?" asked Red.

"Because I'm hungry," he replied simply.

"And you're closing the road to Fansfor City because you're hungry?" demanded Orange.

"Yes, I believe I am," the guard replied, a distinctly smug look on his face. "See, they put me in charge of this gatehouse, and I can do what I like here. So whenever I'm hungry, road's closed."

"So go and get something to eat," suggested Violet.

"Hmmm... nah, don't think so," replied the guard, shaking his head. "If you're looking to get to Nodacel City, just take the bridge."

"I'd rather not," Violet said, her voice shaking ever so slightly at the thought of crossing the bridge. "I'd prefer it if you let us through."

"Ain't happening, missy," insisted the guard. "Now get out of here before I force you to," he added threateningly, brandishing a Poké Ball in his right hand.

"Fine," sighed Red. "C'mon, guys, let's not cause any trouble here."

Violet followed Red, though rather reluctantly. Orange made to follow them, but turned back to the guard and hissed, "This isn't over, tubby," before storming out of the small building. Red was already making his way up the spiral staircase, with Violet nervously following him. Orange took up the rear, and before long, the three of them were at one end of a long, narrow bridge, which stretched the entire way across Fansfor City, above the one they had crossed previously, which had stretched from North to South. This bridge seemed to be made completely out of wooden planks, and in place of handrails, there were simply chains made of countless eights linked together. Red started across, with Violet slowly following.

"Um... Red?" Violet said quietly. "Could you... possibly... go a little slower?"

"Sure," nodded Red. He stopped to allow Violet to catch up, then started walking again, albeit at a much slower pace. As with the previous time, this slow pace irritated Orange greatly. Every few seconds, he mimed the action of looking at his nonexistent watch, but as he was behind the others, this would go unnoticed every time. Then, one of the boards broke as Violet stepped on it. Though Violet was in no danger of falling through, she stifled a scream and wrapped her arms around Red almost instinctively. Red blushed at this sudden action, and Orange, noticing the whole thing, scowled.

After a good fifteen minutes, the trio finally made it across the bridge and down the stairs on the opposite end. Once they made it back down onto the ground (here, the ground was more rocks and grass than anything else, though there were several square puddles and at least one freeze arch), Violet sighed in relief.

"Oh, come on," grumbled Orange.

"You know, you could be a little more sensitive about my fear," snapped Violet.

"Oh, this from the person who caught a Caterpie just because I'm afraid of bugs," Orange shot back. Violet opened her mouth to argue, but no sound came out as she realized that Orange had actually brought forth a valid point.

From there, it was but a mere half hour's walk until they reached a mass of concrete/metal/plastic skyscrapers- Nodacel City. It took them even less time to locate the Pokémon Center, as it was conveniently located in very close proximity to the entrance of the city. As they entered and handed their Pokémon to the nurse, Violet turned to Orange.

"Hey, Orange," she muttered. "I... maybe I didn't have to, you know, catch Flutters. I mean, I guess you were right back there... Even if you weren't all that sensitive about my fear of heights, I suppose I was no better..." Violet trailed off there, looking slightly awkward.

"Well... thanks," Orange said, somewhat surprised by what Violet had said. "Heh, it'd still kill you to give me a sincere apology, wouldn't it?"

"Orange?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

At that moment, the nurse returned, handing all the Poké Balls back to their respective owners. "All healed," she declared. "Though, Red," she added.

"Yeah?" said Red.

"That Charizard of yours was pretty worn out. Looks like it's been in a tough battle recently," the nurse informed him. "It's perfectly fine now, but just to play it safe, I wouldn't let it battle for another day or so, OK?"

"Fine," shrugged Red. "You're right, it was in a pretty tough battle, though," he added, grinning with pride in his starter.

"This is not good timing, though," Orange shook his head as they exited the Pokémon Center. "Nodacel's Gym Leader uses Grass-types. Charizard would have been your best bet."

"Well, I still got Doduo, Parasect, and Raticate," Red replied. "That's two with the type advantage, and one that's just all-around good. I'm feeling pretty good about this."

"I hear that, I guess," grinned Orange. "Fearow can probably take the Gym Leader's whole team by itself, though Nidoking couldn't hurt, either. And then there's .4, too."

"I think Flutters and Skulls can take this," added Violet. "Chompy, too- oh, look, looks like we're here."

Indeed, they had just arrived in front of a massive building that seemed to be constructed entirely out of various leafy plants, with a number of numbers thrown in as well. Carved into a giant piece of wood across the giant threes that made up the Gym's doors were the words "Nodacel City Pokémon Gym".

"Well, OK, then," Red said, determination on his face. "Let's do this."


	22. Time To Kick Some Grass

Taking a deep breath, Red pushed the threes that functioned as the Gym's doors open, and marched inside, Orange and Violet following behind him. The inside of the building didn't exactly look like the inside of a building, however- the floor was topped with well maintained grass, and the walls couldn't even be seen for all the ivy covering them. On the opposite end of the room stood a man who appeared to be in his late teens, if not his early twenties, unkempt black hair atop his head. He was dressed in a pair of blue overalls, the dirtiness of them suggesting that he spent a lot of his time working in the dirt. Several gardening tools could be seen on the ground behind him. Most importantly, attached to his overalls were three Poké Balls.

"Welcome to the Nodacel Gym," the man said. "Allow me to introduce myself- I am Phil, the Nodacel Gym Leader. Now, who might you three be?"

"I'm Red Vershunn from Talpel Town," Red stated.

"Violet Scramble, also from Talpel Town," added Violet.

"Orange McPixel, Talpel Town," continued Orange.

"We're all here to challenge you to a battle," declared Red.

Phil nodded approvingly. "Well, all right, then! Let's get started. Which of you wants to go first?"

"I will," volunteered Red as he stepped forward. Upon closer inspection, a number of small rocks were arranged all over the grassy floor, forming the outline of the battlefield. Red stepped into the small box outside the battlefield in which the challenger was obviously intended to stand, as Phil did the same on his end of the battlefield.

"All right," said Phil as he removed a Poké Ball from his overalls and enlarged it. "Three Pokémon each, that fine with you?"

"Works for me," Red answered.

"Then let's get started!" Phil declared as he threw the Poké Ball. "Exeggutor! Go!"

The ball opened up, and as the light faded away, what appeared to be a palm tree with legs materialized. A trio of yellow coconuts hung close to the leaves, a face visible on each one. "Exeggutor," the heads chanted. Red dug out his Pokédex and aimed it at his arboreal adversary.

"Exeggutor, the Coconut Pokémon, and the evolved form of Exeggcute," said Red's Pokédex. "Legend has it that on rare occasions, one of its heads will drop off and continue on as an Exeggcute. Exeggutor's types are Grass and Psychic."

"Grass and Psychic, huh?" repeated Red as he took a Poké Ball off his belt. "I know what would be best against that... but better to save it for later, I think. OK, Raticate!" he exclaimed as he threw the ball. "Go!"

In a flash of light, Red's Raticate materialized. It glared across the battlefield at the three-headed tree, baring its prominent front teeth.

"He's using Raticate?" muttered Orange. "Wouldn't Parasect have a huge advantage here?"

"Yeah, but I highly doubt Exeggutor is Phil's strongest Pokémon," replied Violet. "Red's doing the smart thing here, saving the type advantage for when he'll really need it."

"Exeggutor! Barrage!" ordered Phil.

"Raticate, Hyper Fang!" Red shouted.

"Rrrrrraticate!" screeched Raticate as it charged across the battlefield.

"Tor!" Exeggutor's heads exclaimed simultaneously as a flurry of small glowing white orbs flew forth from its leaves. Weaving back and forth, Raticate deftly evaded every last one of them before sinking its fangs into Exeggutor's trunk. The Coconut Pokémon cried out in discomfort and stumbled about, trying in vain to shake Raticate off.

"Don't give in, Exeggutor!" Phil called out. "Use Psychic!"

"Exeggutor," replied Exeggutor as its eyes glowed blue. Suddenly, Raticate found itself being forcibly removed from the Grass/Psychic-type and thrown across the battlefield.

"Raticate, try a Quick Attack!" Red called out.

"Teleport to him, then Stomp!" Phil shouted.

As Raticate charged forward, Exeggutor vanished into thin air, reappearing directly in front of the Normal-type, startling it into stopping short. Exeggutor then wasted no time in raising its right foot and bringing it down hard on Raticate, causing it to screech in pain.

"Raticate, come on!" Red called, but as Exeggutor got off of Raticate, it was clear that the Rat Pokémon was down.

"This does not bode well," observed Violet as Red withdrew Raticate.

"Yeah, you think?" Orange replied sarcastically.

"Orange?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"OK, Parasect, let's go!" Red shouted as he threw another Poké Ball, this one unleashing the Bug/Grass-type onto the battlefield. Parasect scuttled forward, raising its claws in a menacing fashion, ready to do battle against Exeggutor.

"Hmm, that could get tricky," murmured Phil. "Exeggutor, Sleep Powder!"

"Parasect, Spore now!" Red shouted.

Simultaneously, both Grass-types unleashed plumes of blue dust at each other. The powdery attacks collided in midair, whereupon the dust settled to the floor, each attack falling far short of its intended target.

"Slash it now!" Red exclaimed.

"Sect para para!" hissed Parasect as it lunged forward with surprising speed, swiping at Exeggutor with brightly glowing claws.

"No! Exeggutor!" Phil shouted. "Stomp attack now!"

"End it!" Red called out. "Leech Life now!"

Giving Exeggutor no time to even raise a leg into the air, Parasect's small teeth glowed green as it chomped onto the side of one of Exeggutor's legs, and the three-headed tree howled with pain as Parasect sucked health from its enemy. At last, Parasect dug its teeth out of Exeggutor's side, and the latter toppled backwards, hitting the ground like the fallen tree that it was.

"Exeggu... tor..." gasped Exeggutor before all three heads simultaneously slipped into unconsciousness.

"Don't sweat it, Exeggutor," sighed Phil as he returned it to its Poké Ball. "You were great out there. Take a good rest." He then produced and threw another Poké Ball. "OK, Tangela, it's your turn now!" he shouted.

As the flash of light faded away, what looked to be a large tangle of teal seaweed with red feet stood in Exeggutor's place. A pair of large eyes were visible through a sizable gap in the tangled vines.

"Piece of cake," scoffed Red. "Parasect, go! Leech Life now!"

"Parasect!" hissed Parasect as it scuttled forward, the tiny teeth in its mouth glowing a bright neon green.

"Tangela! Swords Dance!" yelled Phil.

"Taaaang!" replied Tangela in a high voice as it proceeded to spin around in place, its body gradually taking on a silvery metallic glow. Parasect lunged forward, but due to the sheer speed of the spinning Tangela, ricocheted off the pure Grass-type and fell off to the side. Tangela stopped spinning at that moment, a fiery intensity now visible in its eyes.

"Hmm, this could be trouble," Violet remarked. "Swords Dance sharply increases Attack power.

"But Grass-type moves are special attacks," Orange argued. "Swords Dance isn't gonna affect how they work."

"I doubt Phil's gonna have Tangela use Grass moves on a Parasect anyway," snorted Violet. "Probably has some Normal moves, like-"

"Body Slam now!" Phil ordered.

"Taaaangela!" screeched Tangela as it leapt into the air, preparing to land on Parasect.

"Use Bide!" Red ordered.

Parasect focused hard, its body glowing brightly as Tangela slammed into it. The Vine Pokémon jumped back, eyeing the glowing Parasect warily.

"PoisonPowder attack!" said Phil.

Tangela responded to this by shaking its vines wildly, scattering a dark purple dust from within, all over Parasect. At that moment, Parasect exclaimed loudly, letting off a powerful beam of energy from its whole body, plowing Tangela backwards. Though Tangela was blown back by this powerful technique, Parasect was looking a little shaky, clearly suffering from the powerful blow, not to mention the poison. However, though Parasect was still standing, Tangela had slumped to the ground and was not getting up.

"With one attack?!" Orange exclaimed incredulously. "How does that even happen?"

"Well, Tangela had gotten in that Swords Dance, so the initial Body Slam was pretty powerful," Violet replied as Phil withdrew Tangela. "Then consider that Bide sent double that power right back at it... It's not surprising, really."

"Of course, just as I thought," nodded Orange. Violet rolled her eyes, then lightly slapped Orange's head. "Hey, what's that for?" Orange demanded.

"For being an idiot," Violet replied smoothly.

"Now, Victreebel!" shouted Phil as he threw another ball onto the battlefield. "Go!"

As he yelled this, the ball opened up, and poured a large amount of light onto the battlefield, the glowing energy forming itself into a decidedly familiar shape. As the glowing faded, Phil's Victreebel stood before Red and Parasect, shrieking menacingly.

"Let's win this, Parasect!" Red exclaimed. "Leech Life now!"

"Victreebel! Wrap attack!" commanded Phil.

As Parasect scuttled forward, it was met very quickly by a thick brown vine; Victreebel was extending the vine which started from its large leaf, and was tightly binding the Bug/Grass-type with it.

"Parasect!" Red called.

"It's no good," smirked Phil. "Parasect can't move."

"Aw, come on, Parasect," Red said quietly, hoping that the struggling bug would fight its way out of the entangling vine. Alas, this did not happen, and Red could only look on helplessly for the next couple of tense minutes. Once Parasect's struggling ceased, Victreebel let go, letting Red's Parasect fall to the ground, unconscious.

"Parasect, return," Red sighed as he held out Parasect's Poké Ball, allowing it to fire off a red beam of energy which sucked Parasect into the ball's spherical depths. Once Parasect was back in its ball, Red placed it back on his belt and took off another one. "Okay," he sighed. "It's up to you now," he declared as he threw the ball. "Doduo! Go!"

Despite the type disadvantage, neither Phil nor Victreebel looked especially phased at the sight of the two-headed Normal/Flying-type which materialized on the battlefield. "Type advantage isn't everything," grinned Phil. "But then, your Parasect knows that already, doesn't it? Victreebel, let's hit it with a Stun Spore!"

"Doduo, use Whirlwind!" Red ordered.

"Do do!" cawed both of Doduo's heads simultaneously as what appeared to be miniature tornadoes erupted forth from its beaks. Though Victreebel was blasting a plume of yellow dust from its mouth, the Whirlwind forced the powder back onto Victreebel, causing it to wince in discomfort.

"Nice," nodded Violet in approval. "It's paralyzed."

"Yeah, nice strategy, Red," added Orange.

"Good job, Doduo!" grinned Red. "Now use Peck!"

"Wrap attack now!" Phil ordered.

Doduo charged forward, both heads focused on the target, both beaks aimed right at their bell-shaped adversary... And then came the thick brown vine, swiftly coiling itself around Doduo's legs, torso, and necks. Struggle and cry out though it might, Doduo could not break free of the vine, its grip holding strong in spite of Victreebel's paralysis.

"No..." Red murmured as Doduo continued its apparently futile struggle against Victreebel's Wrap. No trainer said a word, the four of them focused only on the struggling Doduo and the Victreebel who was fighting valiantly in spite of its paralysis.

And then, suddenly, all four of them were very nearly blinded, as a bright glow exploded forth from that which they were watching so intensely.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me," grumbled Phil.

"OK, I won't tell you that Red's Doduo is evolving," smirked Orange.

Indeed, as Red determinedly peered through the blinding light, he could just barely make out the sight of a third head and neck growing between the other two as the bright light forced Victreebel to let go. The glowing then faded, and it was clear that Doduo had indeed evolved. It now possessed three heads, each one topped with several black feathers. From its rear end, it now sported brilliantly pink tail feathers.

"Do," "dri," "o", cried the newly evolved Pokémon, each syllable cawed by a different head. Red, now grinning widely, held out his Pokédex.

"Dodrio, the Triple Bird Pokémon, and the evolved form of Doduo," said the device. "An odd species which is rarely found. At night, only two of its heads will sleep at a time while the third stays awake and keeps watch."

"Ready to win this, Dodrio?" Red asked.

"Driiiiiiio," Dodrio's three heads simultaneously cawed loudly.

"Victreebel, trap it with Wrap once more!" Phil ordered.

"Let's try this new move of yours out, Dodrio," Red stated as he was apparently reading something off his Pokedex's screen. "Use Drill Peck!"

"Drio Dodrio," cawed Dodrio as streaks of rapidly swirling white energy formed around its beaks, making them appear to be spinning like drills as it dashed forward with astounding swiftness on its two legs. Though Victreebel's vine started snaking forward, Dodrio expertly jumped over it at every chance, and plowed all three of its beaks into Victreebel at once, sending it flying backwards, crashing to the ground at Phil's feet. However, Victreebel was not out just yet, as it unsteadily attempted to right itself.

"Finish it off!" Red called. "Dodrio! Skull Bash now!"

"Victreebel, try an Acid attack-" Phil began, but far too late, as all three of Dodrio's heads were already colliding with Victreebel in what was evidently a very painful manner. Once the cranial onslaught had ceased, Victreebel ceased its efforts to get back up.

"YES!" Red cheered as Dodrio dashed over to its trainer. Red responded by hugging Dodrio, who cawed happily with all three heads. "Dodrio, you were great!"

"That was some battle," Phil admitted as he walked across the battlefield, having returned Victreebel to its ball. "Type advantage might not be everything, but it's definitely something. Doduo evolving like that was pretty well timed, though- had it not evolved, I'm certain you would have lost."

"It sure looked that way," Red admitted as he returned Dodrio to its Poké Ball.

"So, without further ado, here it is," Phil stated as he produced a green and brown badge made to look like a little tree and handed it to Red. "The official Pokémon League Arbor Badge. You've earned it."

"Thanks!" Red grinned, accepting the badge.

"And take this too," Phil added as he handed a greenish disc to Red. "That TM teaches Mega Drain. Useful attack for a Grass-type to know. It does damage to the opponent and heals the user at the same time. OK, so who's next?"

"I am!" Orange declared, sounding pumped up. "I'm ready to go, so let's do this!"

Violet rolled her eyes as Phil walked back over to his end of the battlefield and placed his Poké Balls on a healing machine built into a tree stump. "Orange, did you ever think that maybe I might have wanted to go next?" she asked.

After a brief pause, Orange replied, "...no." Violet facepalmed.

"OK, Exeggutor!" Phil shouted as he heaved one of his Poké Balls back out onto the battlefield. "It's go time!"

As Exeggutor reappeared on the battlefield, looking to be back at 100% health, Orange's right hand hovered over the Poké Balls at his belt before finally deciding on one. He took the ball off the belt, pressed the button to bring it to its full size, and then threw it out onto the battlefield.


	23. Orange And Violet Go Green

".4, use Agility!" Orange exclaimed as the Caffeine Pokémon was released from its Poké Ball. Before the glow had even faded, .4 started zipping energetically around the battlefield, gibbering excitedly and incoherently as Exeggutor tried to keep an eye on it- a harder feat than one would think for something with a total of six eyes.

"Exeggutor, use your Psychic attack now!" commanded Phil.

"Tor," replied all three of Exeggutor's heads as all six eyes glowed a light blue, sending a ray of blue light across the whole battlefield. .4 screeched in discomfort as the Psychic attack struck it.

"Hang in there, .4!" Orange called out. "Try your Wing Attack!"

"Eeeeee hee hee hee!" cackled .4 as a pair of purple, blocky wings erupted forth from its back. The Pokémaniac-type then darted forward, colliding with Exeggutor's trunk, the sheer speed with which it flew sending Exeggutor stumbling backwards.

"Barrage attack!" Phil ordered.

"Dodge it with TM05!" shouted Orange.

As Exeggutor fired off a wave of glowing white orbs from its leaves, .4 zipped forward, flying towards Exeggutor once more, though this time, as its blocky wings retracted into its body, it suddenly veered off to one side, and suddenly became invisible.

"Exeggu?!" exclaimed Exeggutor as all three heads glanced around, trying to catch sight of their diminutive adversary.

"Take it out, .4!" Orange called. "TM28 attack!"

Three consecutive small explosions rent the air from behind Exeggutor, sending it tumbling to the ground as .4 became visible once more.

"Exeggu... tor," gasped Exeggutor as it tried and failed to get back up.

"Nice job, .4!" Orange grinned as Phil called Exeggutor back to its Poké Ball.

"That .4 of yours is well trained," said Phil as he prepared his next Poké Ball. "Exeggutor's usually good for taking out at least one Pokémon."

"Heh, thanks," grinned Orange as .4 did three or four dozen very rapid loop-de-loops in response to the compliment. ".4's the first Pokémon I ever caught."

"Very touching," nodded Phil. "But let's see how your .4 stacks up against Tangela! Go!" he shouted as he threw the new Poké Ball, releasing the Grass-type out onto the battlefield.

"Wing Attack!" Orange called out.

"Tangela, Bind it!" shouted Phil.

"Taaaang!" exclaimed Tangela as a pair of teal vines unraveled themselves from the tangled mass of his body and flew forward. .4, however, deftly swooped and dove in midair, evading the vines with remarkable skill before sprouting its blocky wings once more and slamming them into Tangela, sending it skidding backwards.

"Good job, .4!" said Orange. "Now let's try out that new move we've been practicing!" Red and Violet exchanged surprised glances at this.

"Did you know anything about Orange working on a new attack with .4?" Violet asked.

"I barely know anything about .4, period," responded Red, shrugging his shoulders.

".4! Dragon Rage now!" Orange called. In response, .4 twirled around in midair with dizzying rapidity before unleashing a stream of mystical blue fire from its diminutive body. Tangela screeched in discomfort as the Dragon-type move tormented its tangles of tentacles.

"Mega Drain!" Phil roared.

"Tang taaaang!" Tangela replied before its eyes took on a light green glow. Almost immediately, a similar glow came over .4's body. Now it was the Caffeine Pokémon's turn to screech in discomfort as Tangela slowly started to drain its energy.

"Come on, .4!" Orange encouraged his Pokémon.

"Now use your Sleep Powder attack!" Phil shouted.

"Tang Tangela!" screeched Tangela as it shook its vines, sending a plume of blue dust flying. Though .4 made to evade it, this did not work; the Caffeine Pokémon fell to the ground, and started emitting rapid, high-pitched snores.

"Rrrrgh!" Orange grunted.

"SolarBeam! Now!" commanded Phil.

As the topmost vines on Tangela's body began to glow brightly, Orange furiously dug through his backpack, and produced his Poké Flute from within.

"No, don't you dare," Violet said warningly. "You promised."

"Yeah, but-"

"Orange-"

"But .4-"

"You promised-"

"Screw the promise-"

"Taaaaang!" bellowed Tangela as the Vine Pokémon unleashed its SolarBeam attack- a powerful and brightly glowing blast of concentrated sunlight, nearly plowing .4 into the ground. As the attack ceased, .4 was lying at Orange's feet, smoking slightly, and not moving at all.

".4, return," sighed Orange as he aimed the Poké Ball so as to allow the beam to suck .4 back into the sphere. As he prepared another Poké Ball, he shot Violet a nasty glare. He then threw the ball, calling out "Fearow! I choose you now!"

In a flash of light, the ball unleashed Orange's Fearow, who immediately rose high into the air, floating effortlessly in midair, barely needing to flap its wings.

"Tangela, use Swords Dance!" Phil shouted.

"Fearow, Take Down!" Orange called.

"Feeeeeaaaaaarooooooowww!" screeched Fearow as it dove down at the now spinning and glowing Tangela. As Tangela ceased spinning, it was immediately sent flying backwards as Fearow tackled it hard.

"Follow up with Fury Attack!" Orange commanded.

"Tangela, Body Slam!" said Phil.

Fearow flew at Tangela once more as the latter jumped into the air, ready to slam its entire body weight down on the Beak Pokémon. As this happened, however, Fearow abruptly shifted direction, and started furiously pecking at Tangela in midair.

"Come on, Tangela! Bind now!" Phil called desperately.

"End it! Peck attack!" Orange yelled.

As Tangela extended a pair of teal vines, Fearow delivered one final blow with its cruelly pointed beak, sending Tangela tumbling to the ground, completely unmoving, its tangled vines sagging in defeat.

"Return, Tangela," said Phil as he held out its Poké Ball.

"Nice job, Fearow," Orange grinned happily. Fearow cawed loudly and proudly in response as it rose higher into the air, now circling over the battlefield.

"Nice job indeed," nodded Phil as he prepared his third and final Poké Ball. "But let's see how Fearow can deal with Victreebel!" he added, shouting that last word as he heaved the ball, unleashing aforementioned Grass/Poison-type into the open.

"Be careful, Fearow," Orange advised his Normal/Flying-type. "That thing's got a vicious Wrap attack. We'll stick to long range attacks for now. Use Razor Wind!"

"Use Acid!" called Phil.

As Fearow flapped its great wings, sending gusts of sharp, cutting wind at its opponent, Victreebel lifted the large leaf up off its mouth and unleashed a massive stream of dark, corrosive fluid from within, causing Fearow to screech in pain as the Poison move hit.

"Fearow!" Orange called in concern.

"Victreebel, use your Razor Leaf attack now!" Phil commanded.

Victreebel screeched in response as it swung the smaller leaves on the sides of its body around, sending multiple sharp leaves whizzing through the air. Fearow, still reeling from the acidic assault from earlier, made no effort to dodge this, and the leaves struck it hard. Screeching again, Fearow fell to the ground.

"Fearow, quick, use your Take Down!" Orange called desperately.

"Wrap!" Phil shouted, almost before Fearow hit the ground.

Victreebel was almost as quick to respond as his trainer was, its brown vine already snaking around Fearow's body and squeezing hard.

"No! Fearow, you can get out of there!" Orange exclaimed.

However, after several minutes of futile struggling, it seemed as though Orange's words had no truth to them. Fearow did emerge from the vine's grip, but only after Victreebel loosened it, allowing Fearow to tumble to the ground, where it lay unmoving.

"I am really starting to hate Wrap," grumbled Orange as he withdrew Fearow. "Really starting to hate it." He then took another Poké Ball and threw it. "Let's go, Q!" he shouted.

The ball split open, and Q was unleashed into the air. "Kyuuuu," it called softly.

"Hah!" Phil roared with laughter. "You really think that's wise, boy? Sending a Water-type to battle a Grass-type?"

"Watch yourself," grinned Orange. "You think that's wise, getting so cocky when you're using a Poison-type against a Psychic-type?"

"Touché," admitted Phil. "Well, let's see how this works out. Victreebel, Stun Spore!"

"Q, Water Gun!" Orange called out.

As Victreebel expelled clouds of yellow dust from its mouth, Q unleashed a stream of water from one of the corners on the front of its cube-shaped body. The dampened spores fell to the ground, falling far short of their intended target.

"Now use Headbutt!" Orange commanded.

"Victreebel, use your Wrap attack now!" shouted Phil.

Q charged forward, ramming Victreebel hard. In retaliation, Victreebel's vine snaked forward, preparing to coil itself around Q.

"Dodge it... and use Disable!" Orange grinned.

Q shot up into the air like a rocket, evading the approaching vine completely, and then a pink glow came over its whole body. A similar glow appeared in Victreebel's eyes as it retracted most of its vine.

"Fine," growled Phil. "We don't need to use Wrap! Victreebel, Mega Drain attack-"

"Confusion!" shouted Orange.

"Kyuuuuu," sang Q as it unleashed a ray of blue light from one of its corners. Victreebel shrieked and screeched in agony as the super-effective move hit. Once the attack ceased, the Flycatcher Pokémon promptly toppled over.

"Nicely done," nodded Phil as he withdrew Victreebel and made his way across the battlefield. "Your Pokémon are all well trained, and you've more than earned this." With that, he handed Orange his own Arbor Badge, in addition to another TM for Mega Drain.

"Sweet," Orange grinned as he accepted the items.

"OK, my turn now," said Violet as she walked over to the battlefield, stepping on Orange's foot as she did so. Though it looked like an accident, Red could've sworn he saw a sly smirk momentarily cross Violet's face as Orange hopped up and down, clutching the foot tightly and roaring various obscenities. At the sound of this, Q appeared to blush (the majority of its front became tinted red for a brief moment, anyway), and then it quickly tapped the Poké Ball on Orange's belt, withdrawing itself.

Across the battlefield, Phil had already returned to his position and healed his Pokémon. "Ready?" he asked.

"You bet," said Violet as the two each prepared a Poké Ball. Then, they threw them simultaneously.

"Exeggutor!" shouted Phil.

"Skulls!" yelled Violet.

In twin flashes of light, Phil's Exeggutor and Violet's Koffing materialized.

"You got kind of a disadvantage there," Orange pointed out in what Red perceived as a deliberately obnoxious manner.

"Type advantage isn't everything," replied Violet. "Skulls! Sludge attack now!"

"Koffing!" replied Skulls as it unleashed a forceful stream of black gunk from its wide, grinning mouth.

"Exeggutor, Reflect!" shouted Phil.

"Exeggutor," chanted the three heads of the Grass/Psychic-type as a shimmering wall of light materialized before it. Most of the Sludge attack splattered against the wall, but some of it managed to get through, causing Exeggutor to groan in discomfort as it became poisoned.

"Fight back with Psychic!" ordered Phil.

"Skulls, Mimic!" Violet commanded.

The skull-and-crossbones design on Skulls's body flashed briefly, and then both the Koffing and the Exeggutor fired off waves of blue energy, each one cancelling the other out. Though they were able to maintain this for several minutes, Exeggutor was groaning under the combined strain of continual Psychic usage and the poisoning from Sludge. Both Pokémon stopped their Psychic attacks, and stared across the battlefield at each other.

"Tor... Tor..." panted Exeggutor.

"Skulls, Tackle it now!" Violet commanded.

"Exeggutor, Barrage!" said Phil.

Koffing zipped across the battlefield, and before Exeggutor could even begin to react, plowed the arboreal adversary down to the ground, slamming into it with great force.

"Exeggu... tor," gasped Exeggutor as it briefly struggled to get up, ultimately failing.

"Nice job, Skulls," grinned Violet.

"Koffing, Koffing!" replied Skulls, grinning wider than ever before, just as its body became bathed in a bright white light.

"Oh, COME ON!" Phil exclaimed as the Koffing started changing shape. "How many times am I gonna have to put up with enemy Pokémon evolving mid-battle?!"

"Ha haaaa!" Violet laughed triumphantly as the glow faded, revealing a pale lavender Pokémon hovering in Skulls's place. It greatly resembled a Koffing, but without the perpetual grin. In addition, a smaller second head protruded from its left. This smaller head had a yellow circle where the larger head had a skull and crossbones.

"Weezing, the Poison Gas Pokémon, and the evolved form of Koffing," said Violet's Pokédex. "Weezing eats the dust, germs, and poisonous gases given off by toxic waste and garbage. On rare occasions, it forms by two Koffing fusing together where two kinds of poison gases meet."

"Weezing weez," groaned both of Skulls's heads simultaneously.

"Exeggutor, return!" scowled Phil as he held out the ball which withdrew the fallen tree. Once Exeggutor had re-entered its ball, Phil heaved another one out onto the battlefield. "Go, Tangela!"

"Heh," Violet sneered as Tangela materialized. "With a Weezing by my side, there's no way we're gonna lose! Skulls, Sludge attack!"

"Weeeez," bellowed Skulls as each head unleashed a stream of sludge.

"Quick, Tangela! Swords Dance!" shouted Phil.

"Taaaaangela!" exclaimed Tangela as it proceeded to spin furiously in place, its entire body emitting that silvery glow. So rapid was this spinning that the streams of sludge ricocheted off. Once Skulls stopped its attack, so did Tangela.

"Skulls, use Psychic now!" ordered Violet.

"Body Slam it!" Phil commanded.

It was clear that Skulls's earlier use of Mimic was still in effect, for it unleashed a wave of blue light from the skull-and-crossbones design on its larger head. Tangela, however, expertly jumped over the attack and slammed into the Weezing from above, sending Skulls down to the ground.

"Weez... Weez," Skulls groaned as it unsteadily rose back into the air. Every few seconds, what appeared to be electricity sparked across its body. Each spark was accompanied by a pained wince.

"Skulls is paralyzed," Red muttered. "This isn't looking good."

"Skulls, you can do it!" Violet pleaded. "Use your Sludge attack!"

"Tangela, it's time for the big finish!" declared Phil. "Hyper Beam!"

"Tangelaaaaaaaaaaaa!" screeched Tangela as it unleashed a blast of pure destructive force in the form of a beam of yellow light from within the tangled mass of vines that was its body. Though Skulls opened its mouths to unleash Sludge, it never got the chance as the Hyper Beam connected. The Weezing was thrown forcefully backwards by the force of the move, and came to rest at the ground at Violet's feet, unconscious.

"No!" Violet groaned as she withdrew her Weezing. "What the hell? I had the type advantage!"

"Type advantage isn't everything," Orange piped up.

"Orange?" hissed Violet.

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Next Pokémon, please," smirked Phil.

Violet groaned in exasperation before throwing another Poké Ball. "Tombstone, go get it!"

Tangela started to look somewhat wary as Violet's h Poké materialized, floating motionlessly in midair. "Poké..." it said in an eerie, echoing voice.

"Where's your Hyper Beam now?" Violet smirked as Phil and Tangela exchanged uneasy glances. "Oh, wait. Doesn't work on a Ghost-type, now, does it? Aww, did I mess up your big strategy?"

"Tangela! Stun Spore it!" snapped Phil.

"Tombstone, use HM02!" shouted Violet.

While Tombstone seemed to not respond, Tangela shook its vines, preparing to fire off a cloud of yellow dust... and then Tangela's eyes began to droop. The Vine Pokémon started to stumble about, as if having trouble keeping its balance.

"No! Tangela, come on!" Phil exclaimed.

"Let's wrap this up," grinned Violet. "Lick attack!"

One of the small black squares which made up the strange, blocky pattern on Tombstone's body slid open like a mouth, and a long pink tongue shot out, giving Tangela one long slurp. At this, Tangela fell over backwards and moved no more, just as the h Poké withdrew its tongue back into its body.

"Gah!" Phil exclaimed as he withdrew his Tangela. "This... just... GAH!" he roared as he threw his third Poké Ball, sending out his Victreebel.

"Heh," Violet chuckled. "I'd like to see what you plan to do here. Wrap's a Normal move. h Poké is Ghost and Poison. Wrap won't work. PoisonPowder won't work, if it knows it. OK, Tombstone, Night Shade attack!"

"Victreebel, try using Bide!" Phil exclaimed.

Victreebel crossed its leaves across the front of its body, and as the black energy bolt from Tombstone struck it, took on a bright glow.

"Tombstone! Confuse Ray now!" Violet ordered.

"h Poké!" replied Tombstone in that same eerie, echoing voice as before, as the entire front of its body seemed to melt, the pattern twisting and distorting oddly as a pale lavender light was cast onto the glowing Victreebel. Through the glowing, it now seemed to be moving erratically.

In spite of this, however, Victreebel shrieked loudly as it fired off the powerful beam of energy from its body, hitting the h Poké with twice the force of its own Night Shade. Thrown back by the sheer force of the attack, Tombstone reeled somewhat in midair for a moment.

"Steal that energy right back, Tombstone!" Violet called. "HM02 now!"

"Sleep Pow... der..." groaned Phil, for Victreebel had already slumped over on its side before the name of the attack had a chance to fully exit the Gym Leader's mouth.

"Wow," Red remarked, visibly impressed. "You didn't even need all three Pokémon, Violet!" Orange, however, merely grunted as Violet withdrew Tombstone, and Phil subsequently awarded her an Arbor Badge and a Mega Drain TM.

As the trio exited the Gym, Violet turned to Orange. "OK, you wanna tell me what that grunting of yours was about in there?" she asked.

"Oh, you want to know? OK," Orange said as he rounded on her. "I could've taken out that guy's team with just two Pokémon, too, you know? Hell, I might have only needed one! Maybe if _somebody_hadn't stopped me from waking .4 up-"

"You made a promise that you weren't gonna play that Poké Flute," Violet replied. "No matter what."

"You know perfectly well that you forced me into that promise!" Orange shot back. "It was stupid and unreasonable-"

"Excuse me?!" demanded Violet. "I- can you even hear yourself when you play? It sounds like an angry mob of screeching Mankey! Or worse- like your snoring!"

"Oh, don't even start that one again," said Orange. Groaning and facepalming, Red led the way back to the Pokémon Center, not even bothering to try and break this one up. Thankfully, they had stopped bickering by the time they reached the center, and the sun had started to set. However, neither Orange nor Violet seemed to want to talk to each other now, and remained silent throughout their dinner.

"Guys, c'mon," sighed Red as the they handed their Pokémon over to the nurse. "You two are friends, and I don't like to see you two fighting like this."

"Fine, just as soon as Orange apologizes," shrugged Violet.

"Hmph," grunted Orange. "Well, don't worry, Red, this'll all be over as soon as Violet comes to her senses and apologizes to me for being unreasonable."

"This will all be over once Orange comes to his senses and apologizes to me," Violet said, determinedly not looking at Orange.

"And were I to apologize to Violet," Orange continued, looking anywhere but at Violet, "I don't even know what it would be that she could possibly expect me to apologize for. Trainers are well within their rights to use items in the middle of battles, after all."

Violet opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Though Red didn't dare voice this opinion, it seemed to him as though Violet was starting to realize that Orange actually had a valid point, and that she was in the wrong on this one. After a moment, she closed her mouth, then turned to glare at Orange.

"Well?" grinned Orange. "I'm waiting."

"Hm," Violet smirked. "Orange?"

"Yeah?"

In response, Violet grabbed the collar of Orange's shirt with both hands and pulled him in close to her. Red's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as their lips met. Judging by what little of Orange's face Red could see, he was equally surprised, but he seemed to have no objection to this turn of events. About half a minute later, they separated.

"Shut up," Violet said at last, though with a grin on her face.


	24. Operation: Eevee Rescue

The rest of that night went with relatively little incident. Not that Red noticed- so astonished by Orange and Violet's unexpected and sudden kiss was he that he barely registered anything else that happened that evening. Orange seemed to be in a similar state of shock, though also in a considerably happier mood.

"Whoa," Red stated as Orange sat down next to him on one of the beds in their room in the Nodacel Pokémon Center the following morning. "Just... Whoa."

"I know, right?" Orange replied, grinning widely. "I mean, I think I kinda always knew that I... But I never dreamed that she... You know?"

Despite him having not finished either of those sentences, Red nodded. He didn't need Orange to finish what he was saying. He of course never even had the slightest notion that Violet and Orange would actually be in love with each other.

At that moment, Violet strolled into the room. "Come on," she said to Orange and Red. "Breakfast time." She looked more cheerful than Red could remember seeing her, and as Orange walked out the door into the hallway, he and Violet exchanged a quick kiss.

At the table, Red looked on in amazement as Orange and Violet pushed their seats closer to each other. They even ordered the same breakfast- whole wheat zero toast with six jelly. It was the first time Red ever saw Orange eat anything other than fried nines.

"Mmm," Orange said as he bit into his toast. "This is good stuff right here. It's no plate of fried nines, but still, this is some good stuff!"

"I know, right?" smiled Violet. "Kept telling you, you should try stuff other than fried nines."

"Well, you were right," declared Orange.

Red stared at this in amazement, barely touching his fried nines. It was as though Violet and Orange had transformed into different people.

"So," said Red, "I'm guessing the fight last night-"

"Water under the bridge," said Violet dismissively.

"Forgiven, forgotten," added Orange.

"Good, good," nodded Red. "I always hate to see you two fight."

"Well, I got a feeling you won't have to worry about that anymore," Orange grinned as he and Violet kissed once more.

"This isn't weirding you out, though, is it, Red?" Violet asked. "I mean, me and Orange-"

"It was, a little, at first," Red admitted. "But I'm getting used to it. Honestly, I'm happy for you two." In honesty, Red was still trying to fully wrap his head around the whole idea, but it wasn't bothering him too much.

Just then, they heard a commotion from the main lobby. Quickly, Red grabbed a bag from a passing Chansey and packed up his unfinished fried nines before following Orange and Violet into the lobby. There, a large, muscular man in a karate outfit was storming around, ranting something about rotten thieves.

"What's going on?" Red asked.

"This man's Pokemon got stolen from him," replied Orange. "He says Team Debug was behind it."

"Of course," groaned Red. "It's always gotta be something to do with one of those insane groups."

"Sir, please, calm down," the nurse was saying to the distraught man.

"Calm down?!" he roared. "Calm down?! How do you expect me to calm down?! Those rotten Team Debug crooks made off with my Eevee! Those are extremely rare!"

"An Eevee?" said Violet, sounding mildly intrigued. "He's right, those aren't all that common." Meanwhile, Red opened up his Pokédex as an image of a small, brown, furry creature appeared on the screen.

"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon," droned the device. "Eevee's genetic code is irregular. It can evolve in different ways depending on the evolution stone used on it."

"We gotta do something about this," Red said at once. "Even if they call the police, how successful have they been in the past with these jerks?"

"He's got an excellent point," Orange said to Violet. "Let's go."

Orange and Violet exited the Pokémon Center as Red approached the man. "Excuse me, sir," said Red. "Where exactly did this happen, anyway? And which way did you see those Team Debug grunts go?"

"It was just outside Nodacel Mansion," replied the man. "They took off in the direction of the Game Corner. It's the bright and flashy building, you can't miss it. Please, get my Eevee back," he added. "It's just a baby, who knows what those crooks will do to it?"

Red nodded and dashed out of the Pokémon Center. He looked around for Orange and Violet, and then sighed as he saw the two of them kissing again.

"Ahem," said Red. At this, Orange and Violet broke apart and looked at Red, both of them grinning. "Sorry to break that up, guys, but the guy says he saw the Team Debug crooks run towards the Game Corner."

"Oh, I think I know where that is," nodded Orange. "Saw that map of the city back in the Pokémon Center a little while ago. C'mon."

With Orange leading the way, they ran off, and after several minutes of dashing over concrete, rock, grass, threes, sevens, and pine cones, they arrived at a one-story building constructed out of small trees, fives, eights, roofing tiles, and walls of rock. The fives and eights were flashing red, blue, and green, giving the structure a flashy appearance.

"This must be the place," Red remarked as he pushed open the giant pair of sevens that appeared to function as doors. Immediately, a cacophony of various sounds met their ears as they were greeted with the sight of many people sitting at slot machines, inserting coins and pulling handles. On occasion, alarm bells and the sound of a machine expelling large quantities of coins could be heard, accompanied by much cheering.

"Man, this place is huge," Red whispered. "We might have to split up to- are you freaking kidding me?" For as he was speaking, he turned to face Orange and Violet, only to find the two of them kissing yet again.

"Sorry, Red," Orange said sheepishly as he and Violet broke apart. "I- hey, isn't that a Team Debug grunt right there?" Red looked in the direction Orange was pointing, and sure enough, he saw the all-too-familiar white uniform. The man in the uniform was standing right in front of a poster hanging on the wall, and scowling at anyone who got too close.

"Is he... is he guarding a poster?" chuckled Violet.

"Yeah," replied Orange, also chuckling. "Completely inconspicuous. Nothing suspicious about that at all right?" This elicited laughter from Red and Violet, and at the same time, all three of them started walking towards the Debug Grunt.

"Excuse me," Red said as they approached him. "I-"

"I'm guarding this poster!" interrupted the grunt. "Go away, or else!"

"You're guarding... a poster," Red stated. "Seriously?"

"Uh..." the grunt sweatdropped, apparently only just starting to realize the ridiculous and suspicious nature of what he had just said. "Uh... No?"

"Yeah, too late for that," smirked Violet. "Why are you guarding a poster?"

"...it could fall off?" said the grunt. Red, Orange, and Violet all exchanged highly amused looks.

"OK, how about you just step aside for a moment-" began Red.

"Zubat!" interrupted the grunt, who had produced and thrown a Poké Ball so fast that Violet missed it because she blinked at exactly the wrong moment. "Go!"

The trio hastily stepped back as the ball burst open, unleashing the small blue Poison/Flying-type into the air. The Zubat flapped its leathery wings constantly, staying airborne, and baring its sharp fangs.

"Looks like this joker wants to make a fight of it," stated Orange as he clutched a Poké Ball of his own. "Nidoking, go!" he shouted as he threw the ball.

In front of Orange, the large, imposing, spike-covered Nidoking materialized, roaring loudly as he faced his fellow Poison-type.

"Zubat! Supersonic!" commanded the Debug grunt.

"Nidoking, Water Gun!" Orange ordered.

As Zubat began to unleash a volley of soundwaves from its mouth, Nidoking blasted a stream of water from his own mouth. The water struck Zubat, forcing it to stop its attack. "Baaaaat!" it screeched.

"Take Down now!" the grunt shouted.

"Nidoking! Aurora Beam attack!" yelled Orange.

Flapping its wings furiously, Zubat lunged forward... flying right into the rainbow-colored ray of light now pouring out of Nidoking's mouth. The Bat Pokémon shrieked and screeched in discomfort at the Ice-type move, and then fell to the floor, twitching pathetically.

"Zubat, return!" the grunt shouted, holding out the ball, the button aimed at Zubat. Once Zubat had been sucked back into the sphere, the grunt muttered, "The hideout could be discovered-"

"Hideout?" asked Orange.

"What secret switch?!" the grunt exclaimed, nearly jumping a foot in the air. Then, he realized his mistake and added, "Uh... I mean... Um... Bye!" With that, he dashed off and ran around a corner. Red ran after him, but as he rounded the corner, he saw that the grunt was nowhere to be seen.

"Alright," said Orange as Red walked back over to the poster. "Let's see what that Team Debug moron was really guarding." He lifted the poster away from the wall, revealing a large red button set into the wall.

"Well, there's your secret switch," commented Red. "What do you guys say? Should we push it?"

Orange shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Vi?"

"I'd like to see what it does," nodded Violet. With that, Orange pressed the button. Immediately, a whooshing noise sounded from just around the corner. The trio walked over to the source of the noise, only now, Red could see a large doorway built into the wall that certainly hadn't been there twenty seconds ago.

"Whoa," Red said, pointing at the large square hole in the wall. "That's definitely new."

"You sure?" asked Orange.

"Positive," nodded Red.

With that, Violet led the way through, and down a flight of stairs. They found themselves in a dimly lit corridor with steel walls.

"I'll say it again; whoa," Red whispered.

The dimly lit corridor was long, with many twists and turns. Violet led the way down the hall, and they eventually came to a larger, more open room, in which another Team Debug grunt was standing. The trio made to hide, but the grunt spotted them.

"Stop! Intruders!" he bellowed as he threw a Poké Ball. "Go get them, Grimer!"

In a flash of light, a large, living pile of purple sludge materialized. "Griiimer," it exclaimed. Violet shuddered at the sight of the Poison-type, and this spurred Orange into action.

"Q, let's go!" Orange exclaimed as he threw a Poké Ball of his own, unleashing the Deep Sea Pokémon into the air.

"Ugh!" the grunt said in disgust. "Grimer, use your Sludge attack!"

"Q, Water Gun!" Orange ordered.

Simultaneously, both Pokémon fired off streams of liquid at each other- Grimer launched a steady stream of smelly black gunk, and Q blasted a stream of water. The attacks collided in midair, each one cancelling the other out.

"Now use your Headbutt attack, Q!" said Orange.

"Grimer, Harden attack!" commanded the Team Debug grunt.

Grimer seemed to freeze in place, but was thrown back nevertheless as Q rammed into it. The Poison-type hit the floor with a loud clanging noise, but quickly regained its more oozy state as it righted itself.

"Let's wrap this up," smirked Orange. "Confusion!"

"Kyuuuuu," sang Q as it unleashed a pale blue ray from one of the top corners of its cube-shaped body, and as the Psychic-type move hit Grimer, the super effective blow proved to be more than the Sludge Pokémon could handle.

"Grimer, return," grumbled the grunt as he held out the Poké Ball. "You know, I could still punch you all out," he snapped at the group. "There's no reason my loss in a Pokémon battle means I gotta back down."

"Well," said Red as he took a Poké Ball off his belt, "there's the fact that there is nothing to protect you from Charizard's Flamethrower. How's that for a reason?"

"That's a damn good reason," the grunt replied as he slowly backed away from the group, though still eyeing them resentfully.

"Now you're getting it," smirked Orange. "Now, why don't you tell us what you know about an Eevee that was brought in here?"

The grunt shook his head. "I don't know anything about nothing like that."

Red held Charizard's Poké Ball higher still. "You sure about that?" he asked.

"Yes, I am!" the grunt insisted. "It's a big hideout. A one-Pokémon heist isn't exactly news that reaches the entire organization right away."

"Fine," sighed Red. "Let's keep going, guys."

The group continued on. Along hallways, through rooms, down flights of stairs. All the while, they encountered numerous Team Debug grunts, but the battles were usually almost pitifully short. Red's Raticate made short work of one grunt's Machop, in spite of the type disadvantage; Violet expertly commanded Flutters to victory against another grunt's Venonat and Wigglytuff; Orange's A made excellent use of Transform to take out not only another grunt's Gloom, but also the Shellder which followed it. And after each fight, either Red, Orange, or Violet would demand to know where the Eevee was, and each and every time, the grunt would deny knowing anything, even while under threat of being roasted by a Charizard, blown up by a .4, or poisoned by a Weezing.

"This is getting us nowhere," sighed Red as they rounded a corner, only to come face to face with yet another grunt- this one, however, leapt about a foot in the air.

"You!" he exclaimed before turning around and running off. Almost instantly, the group broke into a run, giving chase.

"Flutters!" Violet shouted, holding up a Poké Ball as she ran. "Stun Spore!"

Immediately, the Butterfree that emerged from the sphere flew at great speeds until it was right above the Team Debug grunt. "Freeh, freeh!" it chattered as it flapped its wings, scattering a yellow powder from them. The grunt collapsed to the floor, struggling to move. With this development, Red, Orange, and Violet caught up to him extremely easily.

"Gah!" the grunt exclaimed as he shakily tried and failed to climb to his feet. "What do you punks want from me?!"

"The Eevee you stole will do just fine," said Orange.

"Heh," chuckled the grunt. "You think I still have that thing? You wasted your time, I already gave it to the boss."

"You're lying," smirked Violet.

"And what makes you say that?" the grunt demanded.

"Maybe the second Poké Ball on your belt," Orange stated. "If that contained anything that was truly yours, you wouldn't have only come at us with a Zubat, but if there's, oh, say, a stolen Eevee, you wouldn't risk it, would you?"

The grunt remained silent for a few moments before muttering a selection of swearwords under his breath.

"I'll take that as a yes," Orange smirked as he swiped the ball off the grunt's belt. The trio then started walking back the way they came, leaving the grunt on the floor.

"Hold on," Red said. "We should make sure that's really the Eevee before we get out of here. I mean, you two... that was awesome back there, but still, we gotta be sure."

"No, you're right," nodded Orange as he enlarged the Poké Ball and tossed it into the air. The flash of light that emerged from within formed itself into the same brown furry quadruped Red had seen on his Pokédex screen earlier, except this one looked a lot more frightened.

"Vee..." squeaked the Eevee timidly, trying to shrink away from the trio.

"It's OK, Eevee," whispered Orange as he knelt down. "We're here to save you, take you back to your owner, OK?"

Eevee's ears perked up somewhat at this, though it still looked nervous. Cautiously, it walked towards Orange, peering curiously up at him. After a moment, Orange gently scooped Eevee into his arms, and the Normal-type raised no objections to this. Then, the group continued walking back the way they came. Along the way, various Team Debug grunts scowled at them, but as they had previously been defeated in battle, they could do nothing to impede the trio's progress. At last, they came to the staircase which would lead them right back up into the Game Corner...

"Stop right there!"

Red groaned as he, Orange, and Violet simultaneously turned around at the sound of two men shouting at them simultaneously. Sure enough, a pair of Team Debug grunts were storming up to them, and they were very familiar with this duo.

"Not you guys again," Orange snapped.

"Yeah, we really don't have time for this nonsense," added Violet.

"Well, too bad," growled Will as he and Lou each produced and threw a Poké Ball. "Tangela! Go!"

"Primeape, I choose you!" Lou called out.

The Poké Balls opened up simultaneously. Will's Tangela materialized, but Lou's Pokémon was one he hadn't had before. It was built like the Mankey they had seen him use before, only with no tail, thicker arms and legs, odd metal rings around the wrists and ankles, and it looked considerably more angry. Orange held out his Pokédex.

"Primeape, the Pig Monkey Pokémon, and the evolved form of Mankey," droned the device. "Primeape is constantly furious. It gives chase to anything which angers it, and will not stop until its target is caught."

Red readied a Poké Ball, but before he could do anything, Orange and Violet had each thrown one of their own Poké Balls simultaneously.

"Go, A!" Orange shouted.

"Go, Skulls!" Violet exclaimed.

Materializing opposite Tangela and Primeape were Skulls, Violet's Weezing, and Orange's A. The Poison-type glared at the Grass-type with both heads, and the Normal/Normal-type floated motionlessly across from the furious Fighting-type.

"Tangela, use your Vine Whip on that abomination!" Will yelled.

"Primeape! Mega Punch!" Lou commanded.

"OK, Skulls, Sludge attack now!" Violet ordered.

"A, let's speed up with TM40!" said Orange.

Tangela sprouted a pair of vines from the tangled mass that was its body, and as they snaked towards A, the Speed Demon Pokémon zoomed forward, delivering a light blow to Tangela which, while not very damaging, seemed to result in a boost to A's speed. Meanwhile, Primeape lunged at Skulls, fist at the ready, only to be shot down by twin streams of sludge from the Weezing's mouths.

"Tangela, Skull Bash now!" called Will.

"Sludge attack again, Skulls!" Violet ordered.

"Primeape, Thrash!" yelled Lou.

"A, use your Razor Wind!" Orange ordered.

Skulls blasted another pair of sludge streams, but Tangela jumped out of the way, then rammed into A just as Primeape approached and started punching and kicking.

"A! No!" Orange exclaimed as the Speed Demon Pokémon collapsed to the floor. Just then, they heard a growling noise. Orange looked around in confusion for a moment before realizing that it was coming from his arms- more specifically, the Eevee he was holding in them. Eevee was snarling at the Team Debug grunts, and was now trying frantically to get out of Orange's arms.

"Eevee, no," Orange said warningly. "We can't take the chance, we gotta get you back to your trainer." Eevee shook its head vehemently, however, and jumped out of Orange's grip, assuming an aggressive pose and growling at Primeape and Tangela. Will and Lou glanced at each other, and burst out laughing.

"Orange, I'm not sure this is a good idea," Violet muttered.

"Neither am I," sighed Orange. "But Eevee seems to be be about as stubborn as I am, and you know what? This might just be crazy enough to work. Vi, don't get Skulls involved unless it's absolutely necessary, OK?" He then took out his Pokédex, and pulled up a list of the Eevee's attacks. "OK, Eevee, you ready to do this?" he called.

"Vee!" replied the Eevee with a nod.

"OK, playtime's over," grinned Lou. "Primeape, Submission attack!"

"Tangela, Skull Bash!" added Will.

"Eevee! Reflect!" ordered Orange.

"Vee Eevee!" squealed Eevee as a translucent dome of energy formed all around it. Primeape and Tangela both bounced off almost comically.

"Wow," Red remarked, surprise evident in his expression. "That wasn't bad at all."

"Now use your Quick Attack, Eevee!" Orange exclaimed.

Will and Lou's spluttered and stammered commands for Slam and Mega Punch respectively went unheeded as Eevee charged at a high speed, ramming into Primeape and Tangela, both of whom were still trying to pick themselves up, and sent them flying backwards.

"Follow up with Swift!" Orange shouted, clearly on a roll.

"Veeeeee hee hee hee!" exclaimed Eevee as a barrage of glowing stars erupted from its open mouth, pelting both Primeape and Tangela. Much as they tried to evade the move, the stars always changed direction to close in on their targets.

"Come on, Primeape!" exclaimed Lou.

"Tangela, get that Eevee!" Will shouted.

"Eevee, use Substitute!" said Orange.

Eevee closed its eyes and focused, and an exact duplicate of it materialized directly in front of it. As Primeape closed in on Eevee, ready to deliver a Mega Punch, the Substitute jumped in the path of the attack at the last second, taking the attack itself.

"Gah!" Lou exclaimed. "Stupid substitute!"

"It can't be in two places at once!" Will replied. "Tangela, Vine Whip!"

"Primeape, Mega Punch again!" ordered Lou, catching on.

However, Will was very quickly proven wrong. Though Primeape and Tangela approached from opposite sides, and simultaneously as well, the Substitute started glowing, and split into two. When the glowing faded, it was now two smaller Substitutes, and each one took one of the attacks before both halves vanished in puffs of smoke.

"Eevee, now!" Orange ordered. "Hit Tangela with your Quick Attack!"

Eevee growled as it charged forward, and ran in a circle to approach Tangela from behind, sending the Grass-type flying right into Primeape. Both Pokémon collapsed to the floor, neither one of them moving any more.

"Damn it!" Will and Lou grunted simultaneously as they withdrew their Pokemon. They then produced two more Poké Balls, but Eevee shot off another Swift attack, the stars knocking the Poké Balls out of the grunts' hands before they even got to enlarge them.

"I suggest you get out now," Orange stated. "You don't want another Swift attack, do you? I don't think Eevee is gonna even let you open those Poké Balls.

"Vee Eevee," nodded Eevee in agreement.

Will and Lou exchanged glances, then scooped up their dropped Poké Balls and fled past the trio and down the hall.

"This isn't the last you've seen of us, twerps!" shouted Lou. "We will meet again!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry to say we probably will," sighed Red. "C'mon, guys, let's keep moving," he added as he climbed the stairs.

Once they were out of the Game Corner and back in the Nodacel Pokémon Center, the trio found themselves immediately greeted by the Eevee's trainer, who was nothing short of thrilled to see Orange hand him his brown, furry Normal-type, as well as the Poké Ball for it.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" the man exclaimed. "Eevee, say thank you to the nice people, OK?"

"Vee," squealed Eevee as it gave Orange a long look. The trainer took notice of this, and then looked at Orange.

"Hey-" began the trainer.

"It was nothing," Orange said modestly. "Just glad to have gotten Eevee back to you safe and sound."

"No, not that, it's... I think Eevee's taken a liking to you," the man stated. Sure enough, Eevee nodded vigorously in agreement with this statement.

"Well, I kinda did use it in battle down there," admitted Orange. "I mean, I didn't want to, but Eevee sort of insisted."

"Yeah, that sounds like Eevee, all right," chuckled the man. "But... How would you like to take care of Eevee?"

"Me?" Orange asked in surprise. Eevee reacted to this by jumping out of its trainer's arms and into Orange's arms. "But didn't you just get through worrying about Eevee?"

"Well, yeah, because it was in the hands of criminals," the trainer replied. "But you, you're a capable trainer, and Eevee clearly likes you. I know I'll have nothing to worry about. Come on. I insist."

Orange sighed. "Well, if you say so, then... welcome to the team, Eevee."

"Vee!" Eevee squealed happily as it placed its front paws up on Orange's chest in order to reach up and lick his face. Orange laughed as this was happening, as did Violet, Red, the nurse, Eevee's now former trainer, and anyone else who happened to be looking at the time.

"Alright, so where to now?" asked Red.

"Well, we might as well try the west entrance to Fansfor City," Violet suggested. "Maybe we'll get lucky with this one."

"I'm with Violet," nodded Orange. He and Violet smiled at each other and shared a brief kiss. Red gave a small sigh, and the two broke apart.

"What's up, Red?" asked Violet.

"Nothing, it's nothing," Red sighed. "It's just... I dunno, with you two going out now, I'm afraid I might start seeming like... kinda like a third wheel, you know?"

"Oh, Red," said Orange. "You'll never be just a third wheel, you're our friend- hell, you're the reason me and Vi started traveling together in the first place! And if we weren't traveling together, then we might never have gotten together."

"Orange is right," Violet nodded. "We got you to thank for this, Red. Besides, you're a good friend to have around."

Red smiled. "Thanks, guys," he said. "And I gotta say, I'm liking this, traveling through Tanko with you guys. All right, let's get to Fansfor City!"

With that, the trio set off down the aluminum siding path which led to the west gatehouse which separated them from Fansfor City.


	25. Mind Over Battle

As the trio continued onward, the aluminum siding path gradually giving way to one made mostly of rocks, grass, and square puddles of water, they arrived at a large building that would have been slightly more imposing were it not constructed entirely out of plastic. A fence consisting of all sorts of numbers stretched far on either side of the building. The staircase which led to the east-west bridge was right nearby.

"Fourth time's the charm?" Red said hopefully.

"It better be," Orange stated, leading the way inside. As they fully expected, a pudgy security guard sat behind a counter inside, and shook his head as they tried to pass.

"No, no no no," he said to them. "Road's closed."

"Alright, listen here," Orange stated as he stepped up to the guard. "I don't give a Raticate's rear end if you're hungry or not, it is no excuse to keep all roads leading into a major city closed! Now, you will let myself, my friend, and my girlfriend through right now, or you and I are gonna have problems."

"You watch your tone, boy," growled the guard. "I-" he broke off at that moment, sniffing at the air. "Mmm," he remarked. "Fried nines."

"Oh, yeah!" Red said suddenly as he reached into his backpack and pulled out the paper bag containing what remained of his breakfast. "I almost forgot about these. We were in such a hurry, remember, guys? Didn't want these to go to waste."

"Hey, here's a deal for you," the guard said, hungrily eyeing the bag. "You give me the fried nines, I'll let you through. In fact, I'll share them with the other guards. Gotta love those fried nines."

"I can't argue with that logic," shrugged Red as he handed the bag to the guard.

"All right!" exclaimed the guard as he took a fried nine out of the bag and bit into it, clearly savoring the flavor. "Mmmm," he sighed contentedly as he chewed. "Oh, that's good," he said after swallowing. "Yeah, if you guys want to get to Fansfor City, go right ahead. Sorry for the trouble."

"Thanks," grinned Red. "C'mon, guys, let's- OK, really?" For as he was speaking, he turned to look at Orange and Violet, only to see them kissing once more.

"Sorry, Red," Orange grinned sheepishly as he and Violet broke apart. "Sometimes we just look at each other, and the rest just kinda happens on its own."

"Right," sighed Red. "Why don't we just get moving?"

Fansfor City was a very large place. Many houses lined the wooden streets, built out of all manner of random materials, such as concrete, sheet metal, rocks, and bowling trophies. One house appeared to have been knit entirely out of wool, a sight which greatly surprised Red, even given how used to this world he was getting. There also appeared to be no freeze arches anywhere in the city. They wandered around the city for about twenty minutes before locating the Pokémon Center.

"Alright, so, let's get moving after this, get to the Fansfor Gym," Violet stated as the nurse walked to the healing machine with their Poké Balls. "You guys with me on this?"

"You know it, Vi," grinned Orange.

"Same here," nodded Red. "What type does the Gym Leader use again?"

"Psychic," answered Orange. "So, what are we thinking in terms of strategy?"

"Not sure," sighed Violet. "Psychic Pokémon are some of the toughest out there. They tend to be amazing when dishing out and taking special attacks, a lot of them are fast, and it's only weak to Bug. Not a lot of Bug-type attacks out there.

"Well, I know one Pokémon I'm using," said Red. "Parasect's Leech Life is bound to be useful here.

"I'm thinking of fighting Psychic with Psychic," said Orange. "Q will be great in there, I'm sure of it, and I'm thinking A's Transform will come in handy, too."

Violet sighed. "Migraine and Flutters are the only members of my team not weak to Psychic moves," she said. "This will be tough if the Gym Leader uses more than two Pokémon."

"Type advantage isn't everything," Orange responded. "Tombstone, Chompy, and Skulls are strong Pokémon, Vi, and we've all overcome type disadvantages before."

"Yeah," grinned Violet as the nurse returned with their Pokémon. "Then let's do this."

Seventeen minutes later, the group found themselves looking up at a large and imposing building. The exterior appeared to be constructed entirely out of shiny metal spoons. One gigantic wooden spoon was hung across the front of the building, just above the double doors (which were made out of spoons as well), and in large blue letters, the words "FANSFOR CITY POKéMON GYM" were painted on the handle of the wooden spoon.

"Wow," Orange remarked as he looked up at the building. "Suddenly, I find myself in the mood for soup." Red and Violet chuckled at this as they walked in through the doors.

The interior was very large and spacious, with the usual dirt battlefield built into the floor. On the other end of the battlefield, there stood with his arms crossed, a man clearly in his mid-twenties, his black hair slicked back. He was wearing a dark blue jumpsuit, to which was attached four Poké Balls.

"Welcome," the man smirked. "Welcome, challengers, to the Fansfor Gym. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Harry, the Fansfor Gym Leader. Now then, why not introduce yourselves?"

"Orange McPixel from Talpel Town," stated Orange.

"Violet Scramble, also from Talpel Town," added Violet.

"Red Vershunn, Talpel Town," chimed in Red.

Harry nodded. "A pleasure," he stated. "Now then, here are the rules around here. When I battle, each trainer is allowed four Pokémon. I cannot switch unless the Pokémon I have out has fainted, but the challenger can switch at their leisure. Now then, which of you three is to be my first challenger?"

"I will," Violet volunteered.

"All right," grinned Orange as Violet stepped into the challenger's box. "You can do it, Vi!"

"Then let us begin," Harry grinned as he plucked one of the Poké Balls off his belt and threw it. "I choose Jynx!"

The ball opened up, and out came a rush of bright light, which eventually formed itself into a vaguely human-like Pokémon with extremely light hair, large, noticeable lips, and what appeared to be a red dress. Violet whipped out her Pokédex and aimed it forward.

"Jynx, the Human Shape Pokémon," droned the device. "Jynx wiggles its hips while it walks. It can cause people to dance in unison with it."

"All right," said Violet as she threw a Poké Ball of her own. "Go! Migraine!"

In a flash of light, Violet's Psyduck materialized, clutching its head as always.

"Heh," chuckled Harry. "Do you really think a little Psyduck is the best choice?"

"Psy?" said Migraine as it tilted its head to one side, seemingly in response to Harry's question. Before Violet could say anything, however, a dazzlingly bright light distracted her. It took her a second or two before she realized where the light was coming from- Migraine!

As the Psyduck changed shape, Orange cheered loudly, and Phil's smirk faded away slowly. Then the glow faded, and standing in Migraine's place was a significantly taller creature. Its hands and feet were webbed, and instead of a bright yellow, it was an aquatic shade of blue. Its beak was pointed, unlike a Psyduck's bill, it had long, actually visible legs, and its hands and feet were tipped with actual claws. Its tail was also longer, and there was a ruby-red gemstone in the center of its forehead.

"It evolved into a Golduck," Red grinned as Violet held her Pokédex back out, aiming it at her newly-evolved Water-type.

"Golduck, the Duck Pokémon, and the evolved form of Psyduck," droned the Pokédex. "Golduck's webbed hands and feet make it an excellent swimmer. Often seen swimming elegantly by lakeshores."

"Ready to go, Migraine?" said Violet.

"Golduck!" exclaimed Migraine as it turned around and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Jynx! Psywave now!" ordered Harry.

"Jyyynx," responded Jynx loudly as a volley of glowing blue rings erupted forth from her mouth, expanding in midair. Violet made up her mind on the spot, decided to see if evolution may have changed something.

"Migraine, Confusion attack!" she ordered. Red and Orange exchanged highly surprised looks at this. However, Migraine immediately placed both hands on its head, closed its eyes, and focused. Almost instantly, a ray of blue light shot out of the gem on its forehead, and the Psywave rings disintegrated.

"Jynx, go for a Body Slam!" called Harry.

"Migraine! Scratch attack!" shouted Violet.

Both combatants lunged at each other. Jynx jumped up, attempting to drop her full body weight on top of the Golduck, but Migraine had other plans, and took a vicious swipe at Jynx, throwing her off course. The Ice/Psychic-type gave a startled gasp as the Scratch attack hit.

"Follow up with Fury Swipes!" grinned Violet, clearly on a roll.

"Golduck duck duck duck duck!" grunted Migraine as it lunged at Jynx again, and scratched at her repeatedly.

"Time to get serious!" Harry declared. "Now then, Jynx, use Lovely Kiss!"

"Quick, Migraine, Water Gun now!" said Violet.

"Duuuuuuuuuuuck!" bellowed Migraine as it opened its beak wide and unleashed a forceful stream of water at Jynx. The Water move disrupted Jynx's attempt at attacking, and Violet knew it.

"Jynx, Blizzard!" ordered Harry.

"Migraine, Submission!" commanded Violet.

Migraine lunged yet again, this time dashing right through the blinding snowstorm currently being released from Jynx's mouth, grabbed the Human Shape Pokémon, and proceeded to wrestle with it.

"Do it, Migraine!" cheered Orange, earning him a smile from Violet.

"Jynx!" exclaimed Harry, but too late; once the Golduck was finished, Jynx had collapsed to the floor, and had ceased to move.

"Good job, Migraine," Violet said, grinning happily at her Golduck while Harry withdrew Jynx.

"Not a bad start," he conceded as he prepared another Poké Ball. "Now then, Hypno, go!" he added as he threw the ball. This ball unleashed a tall yellow Pokémon, decidedly much more humanlike in appearance than Jynx. It had an odd, crooked, pointed nose, a collar of white fluff around its neck, and a small pendulum on a string clutched in its right hand.

"Hyyypnooooo," it murmured as Violet aimed her Pokédex at it.

"Hypno, the Hypnosis Pokémon, and the evolved form of Drowzee," it said. "Avoid eye contact. It uses its pendulum to hypnotize others into falling into a deep sleep."

"Don't make eye contact, Migraine," warned Violet. "Use Water Gun!"

"Hypno, Thunder Wave!" ordered Harry.

Hypno raised its right hand, and began to swing its pendulum around and around in small circles. Within seconds, it looked like a silver circular blur going around the hand. Then, sparks flew off the spinning pendulum, followed by a small bolt of electricity. As it zapped Migraine, the Golduck grunted and struggled to move. It opened its beak, but winced in pain instead of firing off the ordered move.

"No! Migraine's paralyzed," groaned Violet.

"Hypno! Mega Punch now!" Harry shouted.

"Hyp! No!" Hypno exclaimed as it dashed forward, drew back its fist, then slugged Migraine right in the gut, sending the paralyzed Golduck tumbling to the ground. Migraine made no effort whatsoever to get back up.

"Migraine, return," Violet sighed as she called her Water-type back to its Poké Ball. Then, she produced another Poké Ball, pressed the button to bring it to its full size, and threw it. "Skulls, I choose you!"

"She's using her Weezing?" Red muttered, a skeptical look on his face. "But Hypno's a Psychic-type."

"Hypno, Psychic attack!" Harry commanded.

"Skulls, use SmokeScreen!" said Violet.

"Weezing weez," groaned Skulls as it drifted across the battlefield, a thick black smoke erupting from its pores and quickly blanketing the entire battlefield. A blue ray of light shot out of the smoke, missing the Weezing completely.

"Don't give in, Hypno!" said Harry. "Double Team!"

"Skulls, Tackle it now!" Violet ordered. However, as her Weezing dove into the smoke, the sound of her Poison-type colliding with the floor could be heard. As the smoke cleared out, they could all see Skulls unsteadily rising back up into the air, surrounded by no fewer than ten Hypno.

"Uh oh," Orange muttered.

"Now use Psychic once more," sneered Harry.

"Skulls, go up!" Violet shouted.

As every single Hypno copy fired off a blue ray of light from the eyes, the Weezing simply floated up into the air. The illusory copies of the Psychic attack harmlessly passed through the illusory copies of the Hypno- except for one. One Hypno copy vanished upon contact with the Psychic attack which hit it. Violet pointed to the Hypno across from the one which had just vanished. "That's the real one, Skulls!" she yelled. "Sludge!"

"Weezing," replied Skulls as both heads unleashed a thick stream of smelly black liquid, blasting the real Hypno with it.

"No!" Hypno grunted as it tried to fend off the foul goop with its hands. Nevertheless, once the Weezing had stopped its onslaught, Hypno was looking noticeably fatigued, and its forehead now had a purple tint to it.

"Hypno's poisoned!" Orange exclaimed.

"Let's wrap this up, Skulls," grinned Violet. "Use Thunderbolt!"

"WeeeeZIIIIING!" bellowed Skulls as the Poison-type unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning from its body, zapping its Psychic-type adversary.

"Wait, has Skulls always known Thunderbolt?" asked Red.

Violet shook her head. "Just used the TM on it last night," she replied.

Meanwhile, Hypno slumped to the floor, and as it slipped into unconsciousness, the pendulum fell from its hand.

"Hypno, return!" snapped Harry as he held out the Poké Ball, allowing the red energy beam to retrieve the Hypnosis Pokémon to its spherical innards. Then, he took another ball and launched it onto the battlefield. "Now then, Q, let's go!" he shouted as a yellow and black cube materialized in midair, identical to Orange's starter Pokémon.

"Kyuuuuuuuu," it droned, albeit in a deeper tone of voice than Orange's Q would use.

"Hah!" smirked Violet. "Skulls just fried your Hypno with an Electric attack, so you bring in a Water-type? Skulls, use Thunderbolt!"

"Q, Psychic!" ordered Harry.

As Skulls let fly another bolt of electricity, Q unleashed a ray of blue psychic force from the front of its body. The two attacks met, but Q's Psychic quickly overpowered the Electric move, and both of Skulls's heads were groaning in pain as the super effective move hit.

"Skulls!" Violet exclaimed as her Weezing slumped to the floor.

"Now then, you were saying something?" Harry smirked. Violet scowled as she wordlessly withdrew the Weezing.

"I wonder what Violet's gonna use next," Orange murmured.

Orange was not left to wonder this for long, for Violet was already throwing a new Poké Ball. "Go! Chompy!" she yelled as the Victreebel erupted forth from the sphere, shrieking loudly.

"Hmm," Harry remarked as he eyed Chompy. "Interesting. Interesting. Victreebel, as a Poison-type, is weak to Q, as a Psychic-type... However, Q, as a Water-type, is weak to Victreebel, as a Grass-type... Now then, I'm interested to see how this one plays out. Q, go! Ice Beam!"

"Kyuuuuu," bellowed Q as a light blue orb formed above it, then fired off a blast of freezing energy right at the Grass/Poison-type.

"Chompy! Acid attack!" Violet yelled.

Chompy screeched loudly as it unleashed a steaming stream of highly corrosive purple fluid from its sizable mouth. The Acid struck the Ice Beam in midair, each attack cancelling each other out- at least, until Acid started winning out. As Q stopped the Ice Beam out of tiredness, it groaned in pain as the Poison-type move hit.

"Go, Chompy, now use Razor Leaf!" commanded Violet.

"Q, TM50!" ordered Harry.

As Chompy swung its leaves around, sending numerous razor-sharp leaves flying at the Deep Sea Pokémon, Q began to rapidly spin around, and two of its sides sprouted a glowing rectangular appendage each. These glowing appendages slapped the leaves out of the way as Q charged forward and proceeded to slap the Victreebel around.

"Chompy!" Violet shouted. "Use your Wrap attack!"

Chompy screeched as it swung its long brown vine around and, in the blink of an eye, coiled it all around Harry's Q, who was struggling futilely.

"Q!" Harry shouted. "Get out of there! Use your Ice Beam!"

"Kyuuuu... Kyuuuu..." groaned Q as it struggled fruitlessly against the grip its Grass/Poison adversary had on it. Several minutes later, Violet's Victreebel relinquished its grip, allowing Q to fall to the floor, where it made no effort to move whatsoever.

"Q, get back," sighed Harry as he held out the Poké Ball, recalling his fallen Pokémon to its spherical confines. Then, he produced his fourth and final Poké Ball and pressed the button to enlarge it. "Now, then, Alakazam, I choose you!" shouted Harry as he threw the ball, releasing from it a tall, dark yellow creature very humanlike in appearance, albeit with pointed ears, and claws on its hands and feet. It sported an impressive mustache, and held a silver spoon in each hand.

"Alakazam!" bellowed the newly sent out Pokémon in a deep voice. Violet responded by holding out her Pokédex.

"Alakazam, the Psi Pokémon, and the evolved form of Kadabra," droned the device. "Highly intelligent, its brain can outperform a supercomputer. It freely employs psychic power to defeat its foes."

"Geez," Orange muttered. "Alakazam is supposed to be one of the most powerful Psychic-types out there. I hope Vi is gonna do OK."

"Yeah," nodded Red.

"Now then, Alakazam! Use your Psychic attack!" bellowed Harry.

"Chompy, Stun Spore!" commanded Violet.

Before a single speck of Stun Spore could vacate the Victreebel, Alakazam held out its spoons in front of it, holding them in an X-shape. The spoons glowed blue, and a blast of blue light was unleashed from them. There was no time for Chompy to dodge, let alone for Violet to order it to do so; the attack hit hard and fast, and the Victreebel was out cold on the floor in roughly the time it took Orange to blink.

"Now then, your Victreebel is, I must admit, quite impressive," Harry stated as Violet withdrew Chompy. "But don't feel too bad. It's not often something comes along that can withstand Alakazam's Psychic attack.

Violet sighed. She only had two choices left, and call her crazy, but she was rather inclined to pick the one that _wasn't_ weak to Psychic. "It's up to you, now," she said quietly to the new Poké Ball in her hand. Then, she threw the ball. "I choose you, Flutters!" she called as her Butterfree materialized.

"Freeeh, freeeh!" chattered Flutters, the Butterfree flapping its wings to stay airborne as it faced its enemy.

"Let's do this, then," smirked Harry. "Now then, Alakazam, Psychic!"

"Dodge it!" Violet called in desperation.

Alakazam fired off another blast of psychic power, but Flutters was able to fly out of the way, though only just barely.

"Flutters, String Shot now!" Violet yelled, calling the first attack which came to her mind.

"Freeeheeeheeeheeeh!" exclaimed Flutters as it sprayed several strands of sticky, silky string from its mouth. As Alakazam geared up for another Psychic, the String Shot wrapped around it, pinning its arms to its sides, causing it to drop one of its spoons.

"Kazam?!" exclaimed the Psi Pokémon in horror.

"That's it!" Violet gasped. "The spoons! Flutters, use your Confusion attack! Get those spoons!"

A blue glow came over Flutters's eyes as the spoon on the ground rose into the air and flew towards the Bug/Flying-type. The spoon in Alakazam's hand was also tugged in that direction, but the Psychic-type desperately kept a firm grip on it.

"Alakazam, use your Psywave!" shouted Harry.

"Flutters, Psybeam!" Violet yelled.

"Freeeeeeh!" screamed Flutters as a multicolored beam of light exploded forth from its eyes at the same time a volley of blue energy rings emitted from Alakazam's eyes. At first, it looked as though Alakazam's Psywave would win out, but then, the spoon now clutched in Butterfree's tiny hand took on a blue glow, and the Psybeam intensified, starting to gain control over the Psywave. Alakazam's spoon also glowed blue, however, and the Psywave intensified as well.

"Do it now!" Violet yelled. "Pull up and go in for Tackle attack!"

"Freeeh, freeeeeeh!" Flutters responded as it suddenly flapped its wings rapidly, cutting off the Psybeam and deftly flying above the Psywave. Before Alakazam could do anything to stop it, Flutters dove down and rammed into Alakazam. The Psi Pokémon lost balance and toppled over. It rose into the air, however, and landed deftly on its feet as it finally managed to free its arms from the String Shot. Using Psychic, it attempted to reclaim the stolen spoon, but the Psychic-type was breathing heavily, clearly tired out, and failed to so much as pry the kitchen utensil from the Butterfree's grip.

"Now then, this does not bode well," frowned Harry. "Alakazam, use Psychic!"

"Tackle one more time, Flutters!" Violet ordered.

"Zam..." whined Alakazam as it raised the one spoon it still had, which flickered with blue light. However, at that moment, Flutters rammed into Alakazam once again. This time, the spoon fell out of the Butterfly Pokémon's grip. But this time, Alakazam made no effort to get back up.

"YES!" Orange exclaimed as Flutters dove into Violet's arms to be hugged by its happy trainer.

"We did it, Flutters!" Violet exclaimed happily as Harry withdrew Alakazam. Then, the Gym Leader walked across the battlefield and approached Violet.

"An impressive battle indeed," Harry stated as he held out his hand. "Now then, take this- it's the official Pokémon League Mental Badge. Also, please accept Technical Machine #46, which will teach Psywave to one of your Pokémon."

"Thanks," grinned Violet as she accepted the items. The Mental Badge was a golden, circular object with two thin, black circles, one inside the other. Harry strode back across the battlefield, and placed his Poké Balls in the healing machine located on his end.

"Now then, who is to be my next opponent?" asked Harry once his team had been healed up.

Red and Orange exchanged looks, and the former stepped forward. "I'll go next," Red stated.

"Very good," Harry nodded approvingly as he took one of his Poké Balls and enlarged it as Red did the same with one of his. "Now then, we begin!"


	26. Psi And Low

"Jynx!" shouted Harry as he threw his Poké Ball.

"Charizard!" shouted Red as he threw his Poké Ball.

Simultaneously, both balls opened up, each one pouring its contents out onto the battlefield. From Red's ball emerged his Charizard, roaring loudly and happily at the chance to battle. From Harry's ball came his Jynx, who looked determined, even in the face of her fiery foe.

"Hah!" laughed Harry. "You think you have the advantage, but this is merely a minor setback for us!"

"We'll see about that," smirked Red. "Charizard, Flamethrower!"

"Jynx! Water Gun!" commanded Harry.

As Charizard unleashed a sizzling stream of flames from its mouth, Jynx blasted a torrent of water from her mouth. The attacks collided in midair, with Jynx's Water Gun cutting right through the flames. Charizard roared in anger as the Water move made contact with it, and subsequently flew up and out of the way of the attack.

"Good job, Jynx!" smirked Harry. "Now then, bring it down with Blizzard!"

"Charizard, use Flamethrower once more!" ordered Red.

This time, Jynx unleashed a howling snowstorm from her mouth, and this time, it was Charizard's attack which cut through the other one. Jynx cried out as the Flamethrower made contact.

"Slash!" Red shouted.

"Now then, Jynx, use your Psywave attack!" commanded Harry.

Before Jynx could unleash a single psychic ring, Charizard dove down, claws glowing, and took a vicious swipe at the Ice/Psychic-type.

"Finish it off!" Red shouted. "Use Flamethrower one more time!"

"Water Gun atta-" began Harry, but it was too late- Jynx was suddenly on the receiving end of another Flamethrower, and this time, the super effective move was sufficient to take out the Human Shape Pokémon.

"Way to go, Charizard!" Red exclaimed as his Fire/Flying-type roared triumphantly.

"Jynx, return!" snapped Harry as he held out the Poké Ball. Once Jynx had been withdrawn, he threw another ball. "Now then, Hypno, it's your turn!" he shouted as the Hypnosis Pokémon materialized once again.

"Charizard! Mega Punch!" Red yelled.

"We'll use Mega Punch too, Hypno!" exclaimed Harry.

The two Pokémon charged at each other, each one ready with their right fist. Each one punched the other at the exact same time, and both of them fell to the ground. They both got back to their feet very quickly, however.

"Now then, Hypno, Psywave attack!" Harry commanded.

"Dodge it, Charizard!" shouted Red.

"Wow," Orange remarked as Charizard flapped its great wings, ascending into the air just as Hypno whirled its pendulum around, firing off a volley of glowing blue rings from it, which Charizard was able to just barely evade. "Hey, Vi, when did Red's Charizard learn Mega Punch, anyway? I don't recall it ever using that move."

Violet shrugged. "Neither do I," she admitted. "Then again, I was just as surprised to see .4 pull off that Dragon Rage, back at Nodacel Gym," she added as Charizard unleashed a Flamethrower, which Hypno evaded by way of Double Team, causing the flames to merely pass through an illusory copy.

"Fair enough," conceded Orange as Charizard looked around in confusion before being suddenly struck by Psywaves from seemingly every direction and collapsing to the battlefield.

"Now then, let's end this!" Harry shouted. "Hypno! Skull Bash attack!"

"No!" yelled Hypno as it charged forward, ramming Charizard head first with great force.

"Charizard!" shouted Red, but it was no use- the Flame Pokémon collapsed to the ground, and made no effort to get up.

"Your Charizard is well-trained," nodded Harry as Red withdrew the Fire/Flying-type. "An impressive start, for sure. Now then, let's see what else you've got."

"Your funeral," grinned Red as he threw another Poké Ball. "Go! Dodrio!" he shouted as the Triple Bird Pokémon materialized, all three heads cawing at once.

"Hmm," remarked Harry. "Hypno, use your Mega Punch!"

"Let's go, Dodrio! Fury Attack now!" Red commanded.

As Hypno dashed forward and swung its fist back, Dodrio started to peck at it with great rapidity, with all three of its long, sharp beaks.

"Now then, Hypno, Thunder Wave!" Harry ordered.

"Use Whirlwind!" Red called.

"Drioooooooo!" cawed all three of Dodrio's heads as each beak expelled a swirling funnel of wind. Hypno was blown back by the triple blast of wind, the weak jolt of electricity it was firing off going in a completely wrong direction, missing Dodrio entirely.

"Hypno! Psywave!" yelled Harry.

"Dodrio! Skull Bash!" Red ordered.

Dodrio charged forward, heads lowered, as Hypno unleashed a barrage of glowing blue rings. Though the Triple Bird Pokémon charged valiantly through the Psychic-type onslaught, the Psywave eventually knocked Dodrio back on its tail feathers.

"Red!" called Violet. "Try the new move Dodrio learned!"

"I dunno," Red said uncertainly. "I'm still not so sure it'll work."

"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?" shouted Orange. "Go for it!"

"Now then, Hypno! Use the Skull Bash attack!" commanded Harry.

Red sighed, then called out, "Dodrio, Fly attack!"

Dodrio's two side heads immediately faced down, and from their beaks they expelled flames and exhaust as though they were rockets, launching the Normal/Flying-type into the air, and allowing it to evade the Skull Bash altogether. Hypno stopped short, stumbling slightly, and looked up just in time to see Dodrio dive back down and slam into it.

"Hyyyyp... no," groaned Hypno as it struggled beneath the weight of Dodrio before collapsing to the floor and succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Gaaaah!" Harry exclaimed, holding out Hypno's Poké Ball. "Hypno, return!" he said as he took out another Poké Ball and threw it. "Now then, Q, go!" he shouted.

As the dazzling flash of light faded, the Deep Sea Pokémon could be seen floating in midair, ready for action once more. "Kyuuuuuuu," it droned menacingly.

"Dodrio, Tri Attack!" said Red.

"Q, Tackle attack!" ordered Harry.

"Kyuuuuu," responded Q as it zipped forwards, just as Dodrio fired off a great, glowing triangle of energy. To Red's astonishment, however, Q broke right through the Tri Attack and rammed Dodrio hard.

"Dodrio, get up!" Red shouted, as the injured Triple Bird Pokémon tried to climb back to its feet.

"No letup, Q!" Harry exclaimed. "Now then, finish it! Ice Beam!"

Q did just that, unleashing a light blue beam of freezing energy right at Dodrio. The squawks and screeches of protest quickly ceased as Dodrio's heads all passed out simultaneously.

"I gotta teach my Q that move," Orange remarked as Red withdrew Dodrio.

"The battle's getting pretty intense, though, isn't it?" asked Violet.

"OK, Parasect, I choose you now!" Red shouted as he threw another Poké Ball, releasing the Bug/Grass-type out onto the battlefield.

"Para Parasect!" hissed Parasect as it glared at Q.

"Now then, this will be interesting," nodded Harry. "Good on you, Red, Parasect has the obvious type advantage. Q, on the other hand, has a few super effective moves up its hypothetical sleeve, however. Yes, yes, this should be interesting."

"Yeah, it will," nodded Red. "Parasect, ready!"

"Q! Aurora Beam!" commanded Harry.

"Bide!" shouted Red.

Parasect covered its face with its claws and braced itself, its body taking on a harsh, white glow as the rainbow-colored beam. As Q stopped the attack, a forceful blast of pure energy was unleashed from Parasect's body, plowing into Q and sending it tumbling to the floor.

"Parasect, Leech Life now!" Red yelled.

"Q, try your Headbutt attack!" said Harry.

Parasect and Q lunged at each other, Parasect's small teeth glowing a bright green. As they collided, Parasect clung to Q with its claws, and sank its teeth into the Water/Psychic-type, causing it to shout in discomfort as the Bug-type move proceeded to sap away its stamina.

"Yeah! Keep it up, Parasect!" cheered Red.

"You think you've won?" smirked Harry. "You, my friend, are sadly mistaken. Now then, Q! Ice Beam at point-blank range!

"Spore attack!" Red shouted.

As Q proceeded to charge up a pale blue orb above its head, Parasect scattered a fine blue dust from beneath its massive mushroom. The Ice Beam dissipated as Q slumped to the floor, snores emanating from within its body.

"Let's wrap it up, Parasect!" Red exclaimed. "Use Slash!"

"Sect para para!" hissed Parasect as took a single swipe at Q with its right claw, which was bathed in a bright white light. The impact caused Q to wake up, though this did little good, for it was then knocked into unconsciousness as the Slash caused it to fall to the floor.

"Impressive. Quite impressive," nodded Harry as he returned Q to its Poké Ball. "Having said that, however, you still have my last and strongest Pokémon to contend with," he added, smirking as he produced his fourth and final Poké Ball.

"Bring it on," Red said confidently. "Parasect, you still good to go there?"

"Para Parasect!" replied Parasect, sounding just as confident as its trainer.

"Very well," chuckled Harry as he threw the ball. "Now then, Alakazam, I choose you!"

In a flash of light, the humanoid form of Harry's Alakazam materialized, a shining, silver spoon clutched tightly in each hand.

"Parasect, use your Spore attack!" Red called.

"Good call," Violet nodded approvingly. "Immobilizing Alakazam right from the start is a smart idea."

"Yeah, but Alakazam is pretty fast," Orange remarked. "It might be able to-"

"Use Teleport!" Harry ordered.

"...do exactly that," Orange finished lamely as Alakazam vanished into thin air, and reappeared directly behind Parasect, evading the Spore completely.

"Parasect! Behind you!" Red exclaimed. "Leech Life now!"

"Alakazam, Mega Punch!" commanded Harry.

As Parasect wheeled around, Alakazam was already driving a fist right into the Pokémon's mushroom. Though not a particularly powerful hit, it knocked Parasect onto its back. The mushroom prevented it from being completely on its back, of course, but still, its legs and claws, sticking up at an angle, flailed about uselessly.

"No!" Red exclaimed.

"Quick, Red, call it back!" Orange shouted.

"Right!" nodded Red as he fumbled for Parasect's Poké Ball.

"Now then, Alakazam, blast it with Psychic!" ordered Harry.

"Parasect, return!" Red called out as he held Parasect's Poké Ball out in front of him. However, as the red beam emerged from the button, Alakazam had already unleashed a blast of blue energy from its now crossed spoons. To Red's horror, the blue energy connected before the red beam could. The Psychic attack knocked Parasect out of the path of the ball's beam, and also knocked it out.

"Mm. Not quick enough," smirked Harry. "Don't get me wrong, it was good judgement to withdraw Parasect at that time, you just needed to be quicker. Speed is crucial in both the trainer and the Pokémon, remember that."

"Speed," Red murmured as he recalled Parasect, and then glanced down at the new Poké Ball he plucked off his belt. "Well, then, maybe this last guy has a better shot than I thought." Then, Red enlarged the ball and threw it. "It's up to you, now, Raticate!" Red called. "Go!"

Sure enough, the ball split open, unleashing the furry, light brown form of Red's Raticate, who bared its prominent front teeth, sneering menacingly at Alakazam. "Rrrrraticate!" it screeched.

"Alakazam, Psychi-" began Harry.

"Quick Attack!" Red interrupted.

Before Alakazam could even start to cross its spoons, Raticate charged forward, slamming into the Psi Pokémon and knocking it backwards.

"Kazam?!" Alakazam exclaimed as it used its telekinetic powers to float back to its feet.

"Psychic now!" Harry shouted.

"Quick Attack again!" Red yelled. "No letup, Raticate!"

Alakazam managed to cross its spoons and fire off a blast of Psychic energy, but Raticate managed to dodge it just before ramming Alakazam once again.

"GAAAAH!" exclaimed Harry.

This went on for a while; Alakazam would attempt a Psychic attack, only for Raticate to evade it before unleashing a Quick Attack. However, after five or six times, Alakazam finally scored a hit, plowing Raticate into the floor with Psychic.

"Raticate!" Red called as the Normal-type shakily climbed to its feet.

"Now then, Alakazam, let's heal off that damage," said Harry. "Use Recover!"

"Water Gun now!" Red shouted.

Raticate unleashed a stream of water from its mouth, but Alakazam seemed unfazed by it as it took on a gentle white glow, its injuries healing up.

"Raticate! Tail Whip now!" Red called, a somewhat desperate thought occurring to him.

Orange and Violet exchanged highly dubious glances as Raticate wheeled around and started to wag its tail. "Tail Whip?" they repeated in unison.

"Ka... zam?"Alakazam muttered as the Recover finished its work. Alakazam hadn't fully recovered, though it was certainly looking better than before.

"Hyper Fang now!" Red shouted.

"Alakazam, use your Psywave attack now!" exclaimed Harry.

As Alakazam prepared to fire off a volley of blue rings, Raticate was already upon it, sinking its fairly large teeth into its right arm.

"Ala?! Kazam kazam Alakazam!" exclaimed Alakazam as it tried, without success, to shake Raticate off.

"Finish it!" Red exclaimed. "Raticate, Tackle attack!"

"Now then, Alakazam, Mega P-" began Harry, but it was too late- Raticate had already dislodged its dental hardware from Alakazam's arm, and rammed into the Psi Pokémon, sending it crashing to the floor.

"YES!" Red exclaimed as Harry withdrew his unconscious Alakazam. Raticate rushed towards Red, jumping into its trainer's arms for a hug. As Red hugged Raticate, Orange and Violet approached him.

"Nice job, Red," smiled Violet.

"Yeah, that was great," added Orange.

Just then, Harry also approached Red. "That was indeed a great battle," he said to Red. "You're definitely worthy of the Mental Badge," he added, holding out the golden badge for Red to take, along with a Technical Machine for Psywave. "Now then," he added, "Mr. McPixel, I believe it's your turn."

Before Orange could answer, however, panicked screams and an alarmingly loud screeching noise could be heard from outside.

"What the Hyper Beam?!" Harry exclaimed. "What's going on out there?"

"C'mon, guys," Orange said to Red and Violet. "We gotta go and see what's going on!"

"I'll be right with you guys," Harry stated as he raced back to his side of the battlefield. "I just gotta heal up my team first, just in case!"

Red nodded in understanding before he raced forward along with Orange and Violet in the direction of the Gym's doors, intent on finding out the cause of all the commotion outside.


	27. Just Say Missingno

As the trio burst through the doors of the Gym, they could hardly believe what they were seeing. Several of the buildings throughout the city seemed to be on fire, and people were running in every direction. As Red looked around for the source of this chaos, another screeching noise came from overhead. Red looked up, and let his jaw drop to the ground- he was looking at some sort of large, flying beast which appeared to be nothing but bones. It was flying overhead, launching streams of fire in random directions.

"Gah!" Red exclaimed as he took out his Pokédex and pointed it up at the airborne menace. "_What_ is _that?!_"

"Missingno., the Data Pokémon," droned Red's Pokédex. "Missingno. in Aerodactyl Skeleton Form are very capable both in flight and in hunting. It is capable of learning a wide variety of attacks, and its type will constantly change to match another Pokémon in the area."

"Now then, that's not so good," came a weak voice from behind the trio. Harry had just emerged from his Gym, and was looking up weakly at the Missingno. "This is not the first time I've seen that Missingno., but I've never been able to take it on. It's always managed to overpower my team."

"Yeesh," remarked Red. "And that's not an easy feat with four Pokémon- that thing is only one!"

"So you see the problem here," replied Harry. "Missingno. can live for a very long time, you see- my guess is, that one used to hunt in this area before it became Fansfor City."

"Well, we gotta do something!" Orange declared. "We can't just let it keep on destroying stuff!"

"Yeah, Orange is right," nodded Violet. Red also nodded his agreement with this. With that, the trio took off after the Missingno.

As they caught up, Orange took out a Poké Ball and threw it. "I choose you, Fearow! Go get it!" he shouted as the Beak Pokémon emerged from its ball.

"Feeeeeaaaarooooowwwww!" cawed Fearow as it soared up to Missingno.'s level. The cawing caught Missingno.'s attention, and the Data Pokémon wheeled around in midair to face Fearow, screeching menacingly.

"Fearow! Take Down!" Orange commanded.

As Fearow streaked forward, Missingno. opened its skeletal mouth and unleashed a powerful Flamethrower from within. Fearow was able to dodge it, but just barely, and then the Normal/Flying-type slammed into its avian adversary.

"Good work, Fearow!" Orange cheered. "Now use Razor Wind!"

As Fearow started to flap its wings vigorously, Missingno. seemed to pull its body into a ball, looking about as spherical as an animated avian skeleton could possibly get itself to look. The wind didn't seem to affect it at all.

"That must be Missingno.'s Defense Curl!" exclaimed Violet.

"Fearow, try your Drill Peck!" called Orange.

As Fearow flew forward, Missingno. uncurled its body, and became cloaked in swirling water. Then, it too charged forward, and collided with Fearow head-on, Drill Peck and Waterfall each competing against each other. It concluded in a draw, however, as both Pokémon were blown back. Before Orange could make another command, however, its mouth once more, and this time, a thick plume of black smoke billowed out from within, engulfing the group. As the trio coughed (and in Red's case, felt around for Dodrio's Poké Ball), Fearow took it upon itself to blow away the SmokeScreen by flapping its powerful wings. Once the smoke had cleared, however, it appeared as though Missingno. had fled.

Red turned to face Violet and Orange. "I'm thinking the Pokémon Center right about now," he said.

"Best idea I've heard all day," stated Violet as the three of them ran off in the direction of the aforementioned building.

Mercifully, the Pokémon Center had been spared from Missingno.'s onslaught, and was still open. Once Red, Orange, and Violet had healed their Pokémon, they started to discuss the situation.

"OK, so let's think about this," Orange stated. "First, let's see what we know about this Missingno., aside from the fact it changes type on a whim. So far, we've seen it use Flamethrower, Defense Curl, Waterfall, and SmokeScreen. And that's very likely not all the moves it can use, either. But let's focus on that for now. What do we have that can withstand both Fire and Water moves?"

"Well, a Water-type would be the obvious answer," stated Red. "Though I think Charizard would find it easy enough to evade Waterfall."

"There's also the fact that some Pokémon just don't have any weaknesses, like .4," Violet added.

"And Transforming into Missingno., that's sure to pose a challenge to it," said Red.

"...Wow, Orange," Violet said, blinking in surprise. "We just described half your team there, and... none of ours. Neither me nor Red have any Water-types, anything with no weaknesses, or anything with Transform. You, on the other hand, you have Q, .4, and A."

"No Water-types?" repeated Orange. "So, what type is Migraine, then?"

"Orange?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up," said Violet, though she still gave a small smile. "No, but you're right, Migraine is a Water-type. Still, I think it's safe to say you have a pretty good shot of taking down Missingno., Orange. What do you say?"

"Let's do this," grinned Orange as he promptly led the way through the doors and back out into the streets of Fansfor City.

The streets seemed eerily deserted. Red was watching the skies so intently that on more than one occasion he nearly walked right under a freeze arch.

"It's quiet," remarked Violet.

"Yeah," replied Orange, in a cautious tone. "_Too_ quiet, if you ask me."

Then, as if on cue, an earsplitting screech came from behind the trio. Red, Orange, and Violet wheeled around simultaneously to spot the Missingno. diving right at them.

Orange assumed a combative stance, a Poké Ball in his right hand. "I got this!" he said to Red and Violet as he threw the ball. "I choose you, A!" he shouted as the Normal/Normal-type emerged from its spherical confines, but shrieked in terror at the sight of the oncoming Missingno.

"A, Hydro Pump attack now!" shouted Orange.

A gave a series of squeaking noises before a high-pressure stream of water from the entire front portion of its rectangular body, stopping Missingno. in its tracks. When A ceased its attack, however, it became clear that Missingno. hadn't taken much damage,

"Oh, geez," Red murmured. "I don't think Missingno. took any damage at all!"

"Remember, A isn't exactly good at offense," Violet reminded Red. "Its real strength is in its speed."

"A! Transform!" Orange hollered.

A gave a high-pitched squeal as its body glowed and drastically changed shape, and before Red knew it, he was seeing two Aerodactyl Skeleton Form Missingno. facing each other. Orange whipped out his Pokédex, presumably to pull up a list of attacks A could now use. Sure enough, Orange nodded at what he saw on the screen, then turned his attention back to the battle. "A, use your Flamethrower attack!" he shouted.

Both A and Missingno. simultaneously unleashed streams of fire from their skeletal maws, the Flamethrower attacks colliding in midair, cancelling each other out.

"Well, they're certainly evenly matched now," Red observed.

"A, now try Egg Bomb!" commanded Orange.

Missingno. screeched loudly as it charged forward, water swirling all around it, as A spewed three large white eggs from its mouth. Upon colliding with Missingno., the eggs exploded, disrupting the Data Pokémon's flight.

"All right, let's wrap this up!" Orange grinned. "Bone Club now!"

As A dove down after its adversary, Missingno. managed to take to the air once more, and spewed more black smoke from its mouth, engulfing the entire area with the SmokeScreen attack.

"Dodrio, Whirlwind!" Red coughed as he threw a Poké Ball. In a flash of light none of them could see, Dodrio materialized, and the next thing any of them knew, three forceful gusts of wind managed to blow all the smoke away. Unfortunately, Missingno. seemed to have escaped once more.

"Now what?" Orange muttered, frowning. "It seems like every time that Missingno. is about to be defeated, it makes its getaway by spraying SmokeScreen all over the place."

"Yeah, that'll be tricky," Red agreed. "But we gotta find a way around it. We-"

At that moment, however, a screeching sound could be heard several streets away. "This way!" Red exclaimed as he climbed onto his Dodrio's back. Dodrio instantly took off running in the direction Red indicated.

"Let's follow him, Vi," Orange stated as he sent out his Fearow. "I'll need that HM Mr. Ujif gave you."

"I... I don't know," Violet said uncertainly as she handed the disc to Orange.

"Don't worry, I'll have Fearow keep close to the ground," Orange assured her. "No worse than riding a Rapidash, I promise."

Violet said nothing, but seemed a little more at ease with this idea as Orange proceeded to make use of the HM.

"Dodrio! Tri Attack!" Red shouted.

"Do dri o!" cawed the three heads as they fired off a glowing triangle, which Missingno. was able to evade by diving and swooping in midair. Red grunted in exasperation, when a voice sounded from behind him.

"I got this, Red!" came the shout. Red wheeled around and spotted Orange and Violet, on Fearow's back, soaring right at him, Fearow no more than four feet off the ground. As Fearow allowed its riders to dismount, Orange withdrew the Normal/Flying-type and threw another Poké Ball. ".4, it's your turn!" Orange shouted as the Pokémaniac-type emerged from the ball, gibbering excitedly.

Missingno. glared down at its diminutive adversary with what appeared to be bare eye sockets, screeching unpleasantly. Then, as its body became cloaked in swirling water, Missingno. dove at .4.

".4! TM28!" Orange ordered.

.4 zipped forward, gibbering gleefully as it flew circles around Missingno., exploding three times in rapid succession. Each blast was in very close proximity to Missingno., and very clearly caused damage.

"Well, that's more like it," Red nodded.

"Now use Dragon Rage, .4!" commanded Orange.

"Eeeeee hee hee hee hee!" cackled .4 as a brilliant blue stream of flame was launched from its body. Missingno. tried to evade, but was hit by the move nonetheless, and it screeched loudly as the move made contact. Then, it dove down at .4 suddenly, striking it with one of the bones on the end of one of its wings. .4 was sent flying by the Bone Club attack, but it was able to regain its composure fairly easily.

"Good job, .4!" Orange said encouragingly. "Agility! Then use your Wing Attack!"

.4 zipped forwards, once again flying circles around Missingno., little more than a diminutive purple blur. Then, the aforementioned diminutive purple blur suddenly sprouted a pair of purple, blocky wings, and slammed into Missingno. with them, sending the Data Pokémon crashing to the ground.

"Don't give it a chance to do anything!" Orange warned .4. "Go for a TM28 attack!"

As .4 dove down, Missingno. opened its mouth, but the Caffeine Pokémon let off a sudden explosion just as the smoke started to leak out of Missingno.'s mouth, and the SmokeScreen was interrupted. Knowing its usual escape tactic wouldn't work this time, Missingno. changed strategies at the speed of light, and instead fired off a trio of large eggs from its mouth. .4 shrieked as the eggs exploded around it, and Missingno. seized this chance to take flight once more, not bothering to cloak its getaway with SmokeScreen. However, the Egg Bomb attack had knocked .4 out.

"Missingno. is weakening!" Violet exclaimed. "Wow, is that thing powerful or what?" she added, smiling slightly in spite of the severity of the situation.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Orange agreed, taking note of Violet's apparent admiration of Missingno.'s tenacity and power. "OK, though, we gotta move," he added as he produced a pair of Poké Balls. He withdrew .4 into one, while sending Fearow back out of the other. Red got back on Dodrio's back, and Orange and Violet climbed onto Fearow. The bird-like Pokémon then took off, with Fearow flying low, and Dodrio running, both of them headed in the direction in which they saw Missingno. fly.

Not long afterwards, they located Missingno. once more. This time, the skeletal menace was flying circles around an extremely tall skyscraper, screeching in a threatening manner.

"Mew damn it, that's Plish Co. Headquarters!" exclaimed Orange. "They produce Poké Balls and all sorts of things for trainers! Fearow, up!"

"Orange..." murmured Violet.

"Vi, just hold on to me tightly," Orange said to her. "Trust me. You'll be OK."

Violet gulped, and though she was shaking, she wrapped her arms tightly around Orange as Fearow ascended.

"Go! Q!" Orange called as he held up yet another Poké Ball, this one releasing Orange's starter into the open.

"Kyuuuuuu," sang Q in its usual melodic tone of voice.

At the sound of Q's voice, Missingno. took its attention off the skyscraper and focused on Q instead. Screeching, Missingno. fired off several Egg Bombs from its mouth.

"Q, use your BubbleBeam attack!" Orange ordered.

"Kyuuuu," replied Q as a barrage of bubbles flew forward from its body, causing the Egg Bombs to explode in midair. Missingno. screeched again as the bubbles collided with it, then suddenly streaked forward and struck the Deep Sea Pokémon with one of its wings

"Of course," sighed Red. "Now it's using the moves Water-types don't resist- Egg Bomb and Bone Club."

"Drio," remarked one of Dodrio's heads, seemingly in agreement with Red's observation.

"Q, Headbutt!" commanded Orange.

Q flew forward, slamming into Missingno. with great force. Missingno. started to fall, spinning uncontrollably, but with a great flap of its wings, managed to take to the skies once again. This time, however, it didn't even bother with SmokeScreen, but instead just took off, figuring it had better come back once Orange was gone.

"No you don't!" Orange exclaimed. "Q! Fearow! After it!"

The chase was on. With Violet holding tightly onto Orange the entire time, Fearow and Q flew after Missingno., following it as it wove between tall buildings, flew across streets, soared above and beneath the pair of bridges spanning across the city, and did all manner of aerial maneuvers to try and lose its pursuers. After a while, however, it somehow managed to get itself cornered by Fearow and Q, up against the front of Fansfor Gym.

"We got it now!" Orange exclaimed triumphantly as Red and Dodrio caught up. "Q, use your Confusion attack!"

"Kyuuuuuuu," sang Q as it unleashed a ray of blue light, which struck Missingno. hard... and then, at long last, the skeleton shakily wobbled in place before collapsing to the ground.

"Oh my Mew," gasped Harry as he cautiously approached the unconscious Missingno. "You... You actually defeated it? Now then, Orange, was it? You... I think you ought to catch it, Orange."

"And a sensible thought it is," agreed Orange. "Catching the Missingno. would definitely ensure the safety of this city... but I don't want to catch it."

"What?" exclaimed Harry, Red, and Violet simultaneously. Even Fearow squawked in surprise.

"That's right," Orange nodded as he turned to Violet. "I want you to catch it, Vi. I saw you admiring its power, and I know it'll be a good addition to your team."

For a moment, Violet said nothing. Then, she gave Orange a kiss, and smiled at him. "You're so sweet," she said. "But you weakened it, Orange, you got the right to catch it if you want to."

"Exactly- it's my decision," Orange replied. "And I decided that you get to catch it. This isn't like if someone weakens a Shellder with their Weezing, and then another trainer throws their Poké Ball first, I'm giving you permission here. Go for it, Vi."

"I'd recommend doing it quickly, it could come to at any moment," Red added.

"Right," grinned Violet as she produced the necessary red and white sphere from her fanny pack, pressed the white button in the center to bring it to its full size, then threw it. "Poké Ball, go!" she shouted.

The sphere struck the Missingno.'s skull, and its entire skeletal form was converted into transparent red energy and sucked inside. The ball then snapped shut and fell to the ground, where it wobbled... Once... Twice... Three times...

And then, the ball stopped moving, and emitted a single low-pitched ping.

"All right," Violet smirked as she picked up the Poké Ball. "I caught a Missingno.!"

"Congrats, Vi," grinned Orange.

"Yeah," added Red.

"I think I even have a perfect nickname for it," Violet added. "I like the sound of Skelefly, what do you guys think.

"Skelefly... I like it," nodded Orange. Then, Orange turned to face Harry. "Alright," he said. "So, we're just gonna head back to the Pokémon Center to heal our Pokémon, then we'll be back so you and I can have our batt-"

"Wait a minute," Harry said, shaking his head. "I don't think that's necessary." As he said this, he approached Orange, a Mental Badge in one hand, and a pink Technical Machine in the other.

"Wait, what?" Orange said. "But we didn't battle."

"We don't need to," stated Harry. "Do you realize that what you just did is what I've been trying to do for ages without success? I told you, Orange, my Pokémon were never able to take that Missingno. down, whereas you got it done. Strictly speaking, Pokémon League regulations dictate that badges are to be handed out to those the Gym Leader deems worthy. While a battle is indeed the usual way to determine this, the rules allow for Gym Leaders to give out badges at their discretion to those they feel deserve them, even if a battle was not fought."

"Well, I guess if you're sure," Orange said, though his eagerness to take the badge and TM in any case was barely contained.

"I'm positive," Harry insisted, practically forcing the objects into Orange's hands.

"Well, can't argue with that," grinned Orange. "All right, then! That's five badges for each of us... now what?"

"Well, there's a Gym in Nodacel City," Harry stated.

"Been there," Red replied.

"You could try the Ruceelna Gym to the north," Harry continued.

"Beaten it," Orange said.

"What about Miliovern Gym to the south?" asked Harry.

"Done that," Violet stated.

"Well... there is a Pokémon Gym in Chufisa City," Harry said hesitantly. "Now, then, I must warn you, it might not be easy to get there. Snorlax have been known to come down from the mountains and are notorious for somehow managing to block the roads leading there. You three think you'll be able to handle it if need be?"

"Yeah," grinned Orange. "We've encountered one of those living roadblocks before. I think we'll manage."

After saying their good-byes, the trio headed off to the Fansfor City Pokémon Center. As the sun was setting, they decided they ought to have themselves some dinner. This time, they all shared an extra-large even number salad as they discussed the day's events.

"That was pretty lucky, Orange, you not having to battle for your badge," Red said to Orange.

"Yeah," Orange grinned. "I mean, I know I should feel like I should have battled for it, but... I kinda don't," he admitted, grinning even wider. "So, five badges each now, huh? Feels pretty good!"

"Yeah, we're more than halfway there," added Violet. "Three more, and we'll be able to compete in the Pokémon League!"

"Yeah," grinned Orange. Then, he turned to face Red. "Er... What about you, Red?" he asked. "I mean, once we get to Bincanar Island, you'll probably stay there for answers, or go home if you can, right?"

Red was silent for a moment as he thought about this. "Actually," he said, "I'm not so sure I want to leave anymore. I mean, sure, some of the Pokémon freak me out a little bit, and I'm still not entirely used to certain other aspects of this place, but... I really am enjoying myself here," he smiled. "I'm traveling around, catching and training Pokémon like I always wanted to, and I'm even traveling with good friends." Orange and Violet both smiled at this. "I mean, sure, once we get there, you bet I'll be getting some answers, but if it turns out it's possible to get me back to Kanto, I won't be going back. Not right away, anyway. I'd kinda like to compete in the Pokémon League here, at the very least."

"That's what I was hoping to hear," Orange nodded approvingly, grinning happily. "I for one am loving this, the three of us traveling together like this."

"Yeah, same here," Violet agreed.

Once they had finished their dinner, the trio retrieved their fully healed Pokémon from the nurse, and spent the remainder of the evening just relaxing in the center. Violet was tempted to try and get to know her newest Pokémon, but they were all in agreement that to avoid panic, Skelefly shouldn't be sent out in Fansfor City at the moment. Eventually, they all went to the room they had reserved for the night. As Red climbed into bed, he placed a pair of earplugs in his ears. By now, it had become a habit- he was now doing it with barely any conscious thought. He drifted peacefully off to sleep, the earplugs shielding his eardrums from the usual cacophony that was Orange's thunderous snoring.


	28. Skelefly And Snorlax

The next morning, the trio exited the Pokémon Center, well- rested and ready to go.

"OK, the nurse said there are two ways to get to Chufisa," stated Violet. "The quickest way is through Nodacel City and down Skateboarding Road. However, we'll need to skateboard our way through there, you're not allowed to walk it." She paused for a moment. "Anyone got a skateboard?" she asked. Red and Orange shook their heads. "Thought not," Violet stated. "Which just leaves the slightly longer east road. Fastest way there from here is to cut through Vandeler Town."

"Well, let's go, then," Orange said. "Maybe we'll get there before the day is done, if we're lucky."

"If we start now, we should get there by nightfall," agreed Violet. "Provided there are no unexpected holdups, anyway."

With that, Violet led the way, and the three trainers headed east towards the city's exit. After they had been walking for about ten minutes, Orange stopped in front of a house that seemed to be constructed entirely out of varied silverware- spoons, forks, knives, even a can opener or two. The sign in front read, "The home of the mystical Ms. Psychic."

"C'mon, guys," Orange stated. "Let's see what this is all about."

"So much for no unexpected holdups, huh?" sighed Red, though he and Violet followed Orange through the door.

Inside the one-room house was a round, wooden table, and sitting at that table was an older woman, whose face gave a distinct air of strangeness. "Aha!" she exclaimed as the trio entered. "Welcome, welcome, and allow me to introduce myself... I am the incredible... Ms. Psychic!" she exclaimed in an overly-dramatic fashion.

"...Yeah, OK," Orange said after a brief moment of silence, "So, we-"

"Wait! Not another word!" interrupted Ms. Psychic. Then, with a flourish, she produced three pink discs from seemingly nowhere and handed them to Red, Orange, and Violet. "You wanted these!" Red accepted his disc, the label of which read "Technical Machine #29- Psychic".

"TMs for Psychic," Violet remarked. "Not bad."

"Well, of course they are not bad," laughed Ms. Psychic. "I foresaw your intent to acquire them, after all!"

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Ms. Psybeam," Orange said.

Ms. Psychic frowned. "That's Ms. _Psychic_," she corrected him.

"Uh huh," nodded Orange, not really listening. "Yeah, well, we should get going, shouldn't we? Thanks for the TMs, Ms. Psyduck."

"That's Ms. Psychic!" exclaimed the woman as Red and Violet followed Orange out the door.

"OK, that was a waste of time," Violet sighed as they continued walking down the wooden streets. "Well, OK, not completely- Psychic is a powerful move. You guys figure out who you're teaching it to?"

"Q, of course," grinned Orange. "I'll wait till we've reached Chufisa City, though."

"Hang on," Red said suddenly. "Chufisa... spelled C-H-U-F-I-S-A?"

"Yeah, it is," nodded Orange. "Let me guess- rearrange the letters and...?"

"Fuchsia City," finished Red, nodding. "And from what I've heard, the positions match up, too. Anyway, I don't think Charizard, Parasect, Dodrio, or Raticate can learn Psychic. I'm just gonna hang onto this until I catch something that can learn it."

"Yeah- you haven't caught a Pokémon since Doduo," Orange said suddenly. "Why is that? It's not like you haven't had opportunity."

"Nothing really caught my eye, I guess," Red shrugged. "I'll catch something when I see something I like."

"I'm probably going to use mine on either Flutters or Tombstone," Violet stated. "Yeah, I'm thinking Tombstone, Flutters already knows Confusion, and I'm sure I can help it learn Psybeam, too."

"But is that Ms. Psywave strange or what-" began Orange.

"THAT'S MS. PSYCHIC!" came a shout from up the street.

Red, Orange, and Violet exchanged surprised glances. "How did she _do_ that?" asked Orange.

The rest of the trip to Fansfor City's exit was uneventful, and before long, the group found themselves traveling back down the rocky, grassy, wet road of Route -8. Before long, a young boy wearing a yellow t-shirt, a blue cap, and a pair of blue shorts approached them. "Hey!" the Youngster exclaimed. "You guys are Trainers, aren't you?"

"Yep," grinned Violet. "Name's Violet. This is Orange, and this is Red."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, nice, now which of you wants to battle?" the Youngster demanded, producing a Poké Ball.

"Hey, you know what? I'll do it," Violet said.

"Thought we were in a hurry, Vi?" said Orange.

"Yeah, but I'd kinda like to get the hang of using my newest Pokémon in battle," replied Violet as she too prepared a Poké Ball.

"OK, 44Hy, let's go!" shouted the Youngster as he threw his ball, unleashing a red, white, and black cube-shaped Water/Psychic-type into the open.

"I choose you, Skelefly!" Violet called as she threw her Poké Ball, and in a flash of light, the Aerodactyl Skeleton Form Missingno. emerged, screeching loudly.

"Whoa, a Missingno.!" the Youngster exclaimed. "44Hy! Use Headbutt!"

"Hyyyyyy!" squealed 44Hy as it flew up to meet the Missingno.

"Skelefly, Defense Curl!" Violet ordered.

Skelefly, however, merely screeched its apparent displeasure with the order, and instead blasted the Riverside Pokémon with a Flamethrower attack. This did not deter 44Hy, however, and the Headbutt connected.

"What?!" Violet exclaimed. "Skelefly, I said Defense Curl, not Flamethrower! Now try your Egg Bomb attack!"

"44Hy, use Aurora Beam!" yelled the Youngster.

While 44Hy complied with its trainer's order and unleashed a rainbow-colored ray of light, Skelefly once again took issue with its trainer's order, and instead dove down, clearly intent on using Bone Club instead.

"Skelefly, what are you doing?!" Violet shouted.

"Not obeying you, that's for damn sure," sneered the Youngster as the Aurora Beam sent the Missingno. crashing to the ground. "Let's wrap this up, 44Hy! Confusion attack!"

"Skelefly, come on!" Violet called desperately. "Please, use your SmokeScreen attack!"

Skelefly instead fired off three large, white eggs from its bony mouth, which were promptly exploded in midair by the blue ray of energy 44Hy was giving off. Then, the Confusion continued its course, striking Skelefly and knocking it out.

"But- but- but- HOW?!" Violet exclaimed. "When you fought it yesterday, Orange, it held its own for the longest time, and now..."

"Yeah, but yesterday it was battling effectively," Orange observed. "Now it just seems intent on not following your orders, Vi."

Violet sighed. "Skelefly, return," she sighed, holding out the Poké Ball.

"Yeah, we won!" the Youngster cheered as his 44Hy flew circles around him, squealing happily. The two then went off, still happy about their victory. Once they were out of earshot, the trio set off again, this time with Violet in a significantly less pleased mood.

"Aw, cheer up, Vi," Orange said as he put an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. "You just need to work with Skelefly, is all. I'm sure you'll-"

"Hey! Red!" came a voice from behind the trio. Red, Violet, and Orange wheeled around, and there stood a boy in brown clothing with spiky black hair. "Heh, I had a feeling you'd pass through here again," smirked Terrence. "I've been training, see, so now we're gonna have a rematch, and this time, you're going down."

"Yeah, not right now," Red said. "We kinda want to get to Chufisa City by nightfall-"

"Oh, come on, it won't take long for me to thoroughly destroy your team," pleaded Terrence.

"OK, you know what? I accept," said Red. "I think I got time to cream you. But since we really are in a hurry, we'll make it a quick one. Just one Pokémon each, OK?"

"Fine, let's just get going with this!" exclaimed Terrence as he threw a Poké Ball. "Golem! Go!" he shouted.

In a flash of light, what appeared to be a large spherical creature, covered in odd grey-greenish plates of rock, with two arms, two legs, and a head sticking out materialized. "Golem gol," it rumbled. Red held out his Pokédex, aiming it at the creature.

"Golem, the Megaton Pokémon, and the evolved form of Graveler," droned the device. "Golem's hard shell is as tough as rock. Once a year, it sheds this shell to grow larger."

As he put his Pokédex away, Red took a Poké Ball off his belt, enlarged it, and threw it. "Raticate, I choose you!" Red yelled as the Rat Pokémon appeared in a flash of light.

"Rrrrrraticate!" screeched Raticate.

Violet made her way to the sidelines and said, "Alright, begin!"

"Golem! Double-Edge!" ordered Terrence.

"Raticate! Water Gun!" Red commanded.

Both Pokémon started their attacks at once. Golem tucked in its head and limbs and proceeded to roll forward as Raticate unleashed a forceful stream of water from its mouth. Golem rumbled in discomfort as it rolled valiantly against the Water move.

"Don't give in, Golem!" commanded Terrence. "Hit it hard!"

"Lem... Golem!" shouted Golem as it crashed into Raticate with a valiant effort. The Normal-type was sent flying backwards, and though it fell to the ground, it got back up very quickly.

"Raticate, try your Tail Whip!" Red ordered.

"Golem! Harden attack!" yelled Terrence.

Raticate wheeled around and started to whip its tail back and forth, as Golem struck a pose, its entire body seeming to gleam for a moment as it stood completely still.

"Well, that flopped," remarked Orange. "Harden upped Golem's Defense just enough to cancel out the Tail Whip."

"Raticate, use Water Gun once more!" Red ordered.

"Rrrrrati...caaaaaate!" exclaimed Raticate as it wheeled back around and blasted a forceful jet of water from its mouth, causing Golem to cry out in pain.

"Golem!" shouted Terrence.

"Finish it! Quick Attack now!" Red yelled.

Almost before Red had finished giving the order, Raticate sped forward, slamming into Golem. While this obviously was less than effective against the rock-hard armor covering Golem, it did nevertheless cause it to tip over backwards and roll right into a nearby rock with a loud CRASH.

"Get up! Golem, come on!" Terrence ordered. "Get back in there! Use Mega Punch!"

However, as Golem feebly rolled back forward, it became clear that that last impact had knocked it out. It made no effort whatsoever to get back to its feet.

"OK, Golem is unable to battle, so the winners are Red and Raticate," stated Violet.

"Nicely done, Raticate!" Red congratulated his Pokémon. Terrence, on the other hand, was decidedly less than pleased with the outcome.

"GAAAAAAAH!" he roared as he returned Golem to its Poké Ball. "This isn't over, Red, do you hear me?!" he demanded, storming over to Red. "This! Is not! Over!"

"Dude, relax," Red said. "Why are you always getting so worked up whenever you lose a battle?"

"Because the world's strongest Pokémon Trainer does not keep losing to the same guy over and over!" replied Terrence. "And if I'm gonna be the strongest Trainer in the world someday, then I can't keep losing to you! So we're gonna keep this up, see. We're gonna keep this going, so you will eventually realize that I am not someone to mess with!"

With that, before anyone could get in another word, Terrence stormed off in the direction of Fansfor City, grumbling various swearwords under his breath. Once he was out of sight and earshot, Red, Orange, and Violet all exchanged glances.

"What's his deal?" Orange said. "Every time we see him, he demands a battle from Red, and then gets all enraged when he loses."

"He's crazier than those Team Debug and Team Error guys we keep running into," Violet added, shaking her head.

"Or that Ms. Psybeam," added Red.

At this, however, an echoing shout sounded from the direction from which they had come; "THAT'S MS. _PSYCHIC_!"

Again, the trio exchanged glances. "How does she _do_ that?" asked Orange.

For a good hour the trio continued on their way. Every so often, Orange would point out a wild Pokémon and urge Red to catch it, and every time, Red declined.

"Why?" asked Orange as Red decided against pursuing the wild 7g that had been pointed out to him. "Why not?"

"I don't want to catch a 7g," Red replied. "What's wrong with that?"

"Well, you also didn't want to catch the .4 we saw, or the pPkMnp," Orange said. "You only got four Pokémon, Red, you're gonna have to catch something new one of these days."

"I don't disagree," nodded Red. "But when I'm ready, OK?"

"Oh, fine," sighed Orange.

"Relax, Orange," said Violet. "Let Red catch something when he's ready, OK?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Orange conceded reluctantly, though he couldn't help but smile as Violet smiled at him. They exchanged a quick kiss as Vandeler Town came into view.

"Let's get through here quickly," Red stated. "Vandeler Town gives me the creeps."

"I second that," Violet nodded.

"I third, fourth, and fifth it," chimed in Orange as the trio quickened their walking speed simultaneously, making their way through the ominous town, past the ominous structures, the dead trees, and the massive, tombstone-shaped structure that was the entrance to Pokémon Tunnel.

"Hold up," Violet said suddenly, coming to a stop. "Pokémon Center's right here," she added, pointing to the nearby building, made from crumbling rocks, dying hedges, and rotting pieces of wooden fence. She then led the way into the building, pushing open the two rotting pieces of fence which served as the doors.

"Hi! Welcome to our Pokémon Center," smiled the nurse as the trio approached her.

"Nurse, can you please treat my Missingno.?" asked Violet, handing the nurse a Poké Ball.

"While you're at it, maybe heal up my Raticate, too?" Red added, also handing her a red-and-white sphere.

"Certainly," the nurse nodded as she walked off towards the center's healing machine.

"OK, so, according to this map," Orange said, indicating the map of the Tanko region attached to the wall while Violet sent out her h Poké and dug her Psychic TM out of her fanny pack. "To get to Chufisa City, all we gotta do is head south from here and follow the path. As long as that Snorlax has moved, we shouldn't have any problems."

Red nodded. "Let's just hope it moved, then."

Before they could talk any further, the nurse called them back over, declaring both Raticate and Skelefly to be fully restored. Violet withdrew Tombstone, and as she and Red collected their Poké Balls from the nurse, the trio exited the center.

"All right, I checked the map, and we head south from here," Orange stated.

Red nodded. "Let's go, then," he stated.

Mercifully, it didn't take them long to leave Vandeler Town, and they were headed back down Route -12, across the concrete and wooden docks serving as walkways across the water. Before long, they happened upon a bored looking man who was sitting on the dock, holding a fishing rod, and staring out at the water. After a moment, he noticed the approaching trainers, reeled in his rod, and climbed to his feet. "Hey, you guys!" he said. "You three Pokémon trainers?"

"Yeah," nodded Orange. "What's it to you?"

"I've been fishing for the past three hours, and no bites," the Fisherman explained. "I'm bored out of my skull, and I want a battle."

"We're kinda in a hurry-" began Red.

"I'm game," grinned Orange. "One Pokémon each sound good to you?"

"Works for me," the Fisherman grinned back as he clutched a Poké Ball in his hand and threw it. "I choose you, Clefairy!"

In a flash of light, the small, pink Fairy Pokémon materialized. "Clefairy," it said in a soft voice.

"Alright, Eevee, let's go!" shouted Orange as he tossed a Poké Ball of his own, unleashing the small, brown, furry Evolution Pokémon, who faced Clefairy and growled with determination.

"I'll be the referee for this," Violet said as she stood off to the side. "Aaaand, begin!" she stated.

"Clefairy! Horn Attack!" commanded the Fisherman.

"Eevee, Reflect!" ordered Orange.

The curl of fur on Clefairy's forehead unfurled itself, sticking straight out in front, coming to a particularly nasty point. As it charged forward, however, a shimmering, semitransparent dome of energy formed around Eevee, and Clefairy bounced right off.

"Horn Attack?" Red remarked. "How the..."

"Clefairy obviously learned that attack in the LM4 stage," Orange said.

The Fisherman nodded. "You got that right! Clefairy, now use your Quick Attack!"

"Eevee, use your Quick Attack, too!" Orange shouted.

"Vee!" barked Eevee as it charged forward at the same time as Clefairy, both Normal-types dashing at each other at high speeds. They collided, each bouncing off the other. Both were thrown back, but were able to climb to their feet very quickly.

"Eevee! Swift!" said Orange.

"Clefairy! Water Gun!" said the Fisherman.

As Clefairy opened its mouth and unleashed a stream of water, Eevee opened its own mouth and unleashed a barrage of glowing stars. The two attacks met in midair, but the stars merely sliced their way through the jet of water, and before the Water Gun could even get close, Clefairy was forced to stop the attack as the stars pelted its body relentlessly.

"Don't give in, Clefairy!" called the Fisherman. "Wrap attack!"

"Fairy!" responded Clefairy as it lunged forward, its swirly pink tail uncoiling like a little Ekans. Eevee barely had time to react before it found itself wrapped up in the tail.

"Eevee!" Orange exclaimed. "Come on, get out of there!"

Eevee struggled, but Clefairy's grip tightened, and the Evolution Pokémon could not break free. This did not deter Eevee, however, but it only got free when Clefairy finally let it go. Eevee, however, was now pissed, and immediately bit down on Clefairy's tail.

"Wait, was that just, like, regular biting," Red asked, "or did Eevee just learn how to use Bite?"

"...Looks like Eevee learned Bite!" grinned Orange as he glanced down at his Pokédex. "Nice one, Eevee! Now use Swift!"

"Clefairy, time for Metronome!" yelled the Fisherman as Eevee relinquished its grip on Clefairy and backed off. In response, Clefairy raised its arms in the air and waved its fingers back and forth.

"Oh, boy," Red murmured. "Metronome... there's no telling what move Clefairy's gonna use now!"

As Eevee opened its mouth to unleash another barrage of stars, Clefairy stopped waving its fingers back and forth, and sprung into the air, its left knee glowing red.

"Oh, not good," Orange whimpered, watching Clefairy. "Metronome must've called up Hi Jump Kick!"

Eevee unleashed Swift at that moment, and as the stars pelted Clefairy, the Normal-type was knocked off course, and crashed into the concrete portion of the dock just behind Eevee. It made no effort to move whatsoever.

"Right, it looks like Clefairy cannot continue, so Orange and Eevee are the winners!" declared Violet.

"Return, Clefairy," sighed the Fisherman as his Normal-type was withdrawn to the spherical confines of its Poké Ball. "That Eevee of yours ain't bad," he added to Orange.

"Thanks," grinned Orange as he withdrew Eevee. "Same goes for that Clefairy. I had an LM4 myself, but mine evolved all the way to Nidoking."

"As fascinating as this all is," Violet cut in, "We're kinda trying to get to Chufisa City today, so..."

"Right," nodded the Fisherman. "Just a second, though," he added as he dug through a backpack sitting on the dock next to his fishing gear. He produced three glassy stones from within the bag- one was a greenish color with a lightning bolt engraved in it, one was a fiery orange stone that looked as though it had a small ember trapped within, and the final one was blue, and it looked as though numerous bubbles were trapped inside. "Nodacel Department Store had a sale on evolution stones not too long ago, so I just bought one of each. I didn't need them, but I figured it couldn't hurt to be prepared. But here, you take 'em. You can use at least one of them, once you decide how you want to evolve Eevee. Plus, I still got the Leaf Stone, if I ever get a Gloom or a Weepinbell.

"Oh, sweet!" Orange exclaimed as he accepted the stones and dumped them into his backpack.

"You sure you just wanna give those out like that?" Red asked.

"Yes, he's sure, Red!" Orange said loudly.

"Relax," the Fisherman chuckled. "Besides which, you gave me a good battle there, you earned them."

"Thanks," Orange grinned.

As the trio walked off, the Fisherman went back to his fishing, and now Orange was starting to talk about a subject that had yet to come up before.

"What should I evolve Eevee into?" Orange murmured. "I mean, I already have Q, so I'm pretty well set as far as Water-types go. That leaves Flareon and Jolteon... but what would Eevee want to evolve into? I can't ignore that, it's gotta be something Eevee would be happy with- aw, crap," he groaned as he saw just why Red and Violet had come to a stop.

They had arrived at an all too familiar three-way intersection. The path which led away from the sea and towards Miliovern City was completely unobstructed. The path which continued south, however, was still obstructed as it had been the last time they had gotten there- by the rotund bulk of a large sleeping Snorlax.

"Mew damn it," sighed Violet. "Well, we gotta wake the Snorlax up. Orange?"

"Hmm?" Orange said, turning to face Violet. After a moment, a look of dawning comprehension came over his face. "Wait- are you saying... are you giving me permission to-"

"Yep," smirked Violet. "Play that Poké Flute, Orange, and wake up Snorlax."

"Are... are you sure?" Orange asked. "I mean, I did promise you..."

"Yeah... but that promise, and my reason for making you make that promise, utter Tauros crap," said Violet. "Go ahead and play it."

"You know what? I just might," smiled Orange. "And I'm telling you, Vi, someone as great as you, I just know Skelefly will be warming up to you in no time."

"Orange, you're so stubborn, and you can be annoying... but you're sweet," Violet said softly as she moved closer to Orange. Before he knew what was happening, they were kissing. Not long after, however, they broke apart as they heard a familiar whirring noise. Simultaneously, Orange and Violet turned to look at the Snorlax- or rather, the large mass of transparent red energy being sucked into a Poké Ball. The sphere landed on the dock and wobbled back and forth for several seconds before it gave off a low-pitched ping and was still.

"Honestly," Red remarked as he picked up the Poké Ball containing his new Snorlax, "I can't believe nobody's thought of doing this sooner. Seriously, it's just laying there, fast asleep, and it takes nothing less than Orange's snoring to get it to so much as stir, and nobody else thinks to throw a Poké Ball at it?"


	29. The Ways Of Team Error

With Snorlax out of their way, the trio found that their journey was going very smoothly now. As they continued to navigate the floating walkways over the water, they encountered several other Fishermen, but the ones that did notice them weren't looking for battles.

Soon, the docks led the three Trainers onto dry land- mostly squares of grass and rocky terrain, though there were definitely threes, twos, and aluminum siding thrown in as well. It was around this point the path stopped going south, and instead turned to the west.

"We can't be too far now," grinned Orange. "Another hour of walking or so, and we should reach Chufisa City!"

"We're making excellent time, aren't we?" observed Violet as she looked up at the blocky, scrambled sun in the sky. "The sun won't start setting for several hours at least. Maybe we can take a little break here."

"I second that," sighed Red as he sat down on a giant five. "We've been walking all day, Orange. Even if we don't get to Chufisa City while it's still light, it doesn't matter, the Pokémon Center will still be open."

"But... I... Oh, all right," grumbled Orange.

"Hey, we may as well let our Pokémon relax, too," Violet said as she took out six Poké Balls and tossed them into the air. "Chompy! Flutters! Migraine! Skulls! Tombstone! Skelefly! Come on out!"

"I guess so," Orange conceded as he tossed half a dozen balls into the air. "Q! .4! Fearow! Nidoking! A! Eevee! Go!"

"Charizard, Raticate, Parasect, Dodrio, Snorlax, you too!" yelled Red as he threw five Poké Balls.

For a moment, the collective flashes of light were absolutely blinding as the seventeen Poké Balls opened up simultaneously. Then, as the light faded, there appeared all the group's Pokémon at once, and many of them began to interact with one another. Fearow and Skulls began to race each other, .4 flew dizzying circles around Flutters and A, gibbering excitedly, and Eevee began jumping up and down on the sleeping Snorlax's stomach as though it were a trampoline. Snorlax, far from seeming to mind this, didn't even appear to take notice. However, the first thing Red and Violet noticed was that Charizard and Skelefly were circling each other in the air, glaring at each other intensely.

"Uh-oh," muttered Violet as she noticed this.

"Charizard," Red called to his Fire/Flying-type warningly. "Don't do anything hasty."

"Skelefly, come down here," Violet said to her Missingno.

Neither Pokémon appeared to have heard their trainers, however, and now they were growling at each other.

"Say," Orange piped up. "Why don't you two have them battle each other?" he suggested. "It'd be a great way for them to let off some steam, and maybe it'd help with Skelefly's obedience issues, too," he added.

"Huh," Red remarked. "That's not a bad idea. What do you say, Violet?"

"Works for me," agreed Violet.

"Charizard, ready for a battle?" Red called up.

"You too, Skelefly, we're gonna have a battle, so please come down here!" Violet called.

Charizard and Skelefly both descended to the ground, neither one taking their eyes off the other. As they were spaced far enough apart already, Red and Violet merely took their positions behind their Pokémon, while Orange stepped off to the sidelines.

"I'm gonna referee this match, that OK?" Orange asked them. When Red and Violet both nodded, Orange nodded back. "Then begin!" he declared.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Red ordered.

"Skelefly, Waterfall!" commanded Violet.

Charizard and Skelefly both unleashed powerful streams of fire from their mouths simultaneously. The attacks collided in midair, creating a powerful explosion which blew both combatants back.

"Skelefly, no!" Violet exclaimed. "Come on, use Waterfall!"

In response, the Aerodactyl Skeleton Missingno. took to the skies, screeching madly as it spewed three large white eggs out of its mouth. Charizard flapped its great wings, also taking to the skies, and evading the Egg Bomb completely.

"Ugh," Violet groaned. "This is a disaster..."

"Charizard, now use Slash!" Red ordered.

"Skelefly, use Defense Curl!" shouted Violet.

Charizard flew forward, only to be met with Skelefly's Flamethrower once more. Being a Fire-type itself, Charizard was able to withstand the move with ease, and took a swipe at Skelefly- only for its glowing claws to pass right through the bones!

"What the-" began Red. Violet, however, was glancing over at her other Pokémon.

"Skelefly must have copied Tombstone's type combination!" she exclaimed. "It must have become a Ghost and Poison-type! Come on, Skelefly! Waterfall attack!"

Screeching unpleasantly, Skelefly instead unleashed another Flamethrower, which Charizard evaded with ease before retaliating with a Flamethrower of its own. The Missingno. screeched with displeasure as the Fire move hit, and then there could be heard the clatter of bones as Skelefly hit the ground, stirring feebly, but clearly in no state to get back on its feet, let alone in the air.

"Skelefly is unable to battle," declared Orange. "Red and Charizard win!"

Violet slowly approached her injured Missingno., noticing several burns on its skeletal body that looked particularly nasty. "Skelefly, you OK?" she asked. In response, Skelefly screeched weakly yet defiantly, attempting to sound stronger than it felt.

"Some of those burns look pretty bad," Orange observed as he and Red approached Skelefly. "We should get Skelefly to a Pokémon Center."

"Oh, don't bother with the Pokémon Center," came a familiar voice from behind the trio, causing them to jump and wheel around simultaneously. "We'll take care of that Missingno. for you!"

"You two!" exclaimed Orange, for there stood a pair of men in purple outfits, each one emblazoned with a large orange E on the chest.

"Team Error!" said Red.

"Did you twerps miss us?" smirked Jeff, the Team Error grunt who had spoken up moments ago. "It's been a while, hasn't it? And now you've gone and caught a Missingno. for us to take to the boss!"

"Like hell," snapped Violet. "This is my Missingno.! If you want one so bad, go catch your own."

"Well, we've been through this before," said Larry, the other grunt. "Poké Balls cost money, which is something we're not exactly made of."

"So we'll just be taking that rarity to the boss ourselves by force," Jeff added as he threw a Poké Ball. "Go! pPkMnp!"

"You too, 7g!" shouted Larry as he threw a ball of his own.

"Nidoking, help us out!" Orange called over to the group of Pokémon.

"You too, Snorlax!" added Red, as he noticed that his newest Normal-type was starting to stir.

As pPkMnp and 7g materialized from their respective Poké Balls, Nidoking and Snorlax stomped over to where their trainers were. Despite Snorlax never having actually seen its trainer before, it looked ready for orders in any case.

"7g, Double-Edge!" Larry yelled.

"pPkMnp, Sludge!" commanded Jeff.

"Nidoking, Aurora Beam now!" said Orange.

"Snorlax, use Headbutt!" Red called.

7g flew at Snorlax, who was stomping right in its direction, head lowered. They slammed into each other as Nidoking's Aurora Beam and pPkMnp's Sludge collided in midair.

As the battle raged on, Violet took this opportunity to take a Burn Heal out of her fanny pack and spray it on Skelefly's burns. The Missingno. screeched in response, but more softly than usual. It lifted its head slightly, and gave Violet a long look with what appeared to be bare eye sockets.

"Just relax, Skelefly," Violet said soothingly. "Let the Burn Heal do its job, OK?" Then, she sighed. "I wish you'd listen to me, though," she added quietly, looking down. "I know you never had to take orders from anyone before, but you have to realize, I know what I'm doing. I mean, ever since you started not following my orders, you haven't won at all, and I know you're capable of winning... I just wish you would trust me," sighed Violet. At that moment, she finished tending to Skelefly's wounds, and after patting the Missingno. on the head, stood up to join in the fray. Snorlax and Nidoking had taken out pPkMnp and 7g, and were now battling Jeff's 'M and Larry's Z4.

"Z4, use your Fury Attack!" Larry yelled.

"'M, Water Gun!" commanded Jeff.

"Snorlax, go for Body Slam!" ordered Red.

"Nidoking, Horn Attack!" said Orange.

Nidoking and Z4 charged at each other, the latter sprouting multiple dangerous-looking spikes from the front of its body. The Box Bee Pokémon dove beneath Nidoking's horn and jabbed at it repeatedly with its spikes, causing the Poison/Ground-type to roar in pain. Meanwhile, Snorlax's Body Slam missed as 'M soaked it with water sprayed from its mouth.

"Let's finish this, 'M!" Jeff called. "Sky Attack!"

"Z4, use Horn Drill!" added Larry.

"Snorlax, Harden attack!" Red shouted.

"Nidoking, Aurora Beam!" ordered Orange.

However, 'M and Z4 were the first to attack as 'M plowed into Snorlax, a harsh glow coming over its whole body, and Z4 struck Nidoking with a single spinning spike. Nidoking and Snorlax collapsed simultaneously and ceased all movement.

"No!" groaned Orange as he and Red withdrew their unconscious Pokémon.

"Hah!" sneered Larry. "And now our associates should have gathered up every single pPkMnp nesting in the area- OW!" he exclaimed as Jeff slapped him in the head.

"You damn fool!" Jeff exclaimed. How many times do I gotta tell you to not reveal our plan to the enemy!"

"I was doing no such thing!" argued Larry. "All I did was- oh, yeah, wait, that pretty much spoils the whole thing, doesn't it?" he remarked weakly. Jeff facepalmed.

"You guys aren't getting away with this!" Orange exclaimed. "Fearow!" he shouted, turning to face the trio's Pokémon- only to find that they were all trapped beneath a large net, which, despite all their struggling and attacking, wasn't giving way.

"Oh, aren't we?" smirked Jeff. Just then, a large green pickup truck pulled up, packed with cages full of pPkMnp, eliciting a collective gasp of horror from Red, Orange, and Violet. "Now, let's just bag that Missingno. and we'll be on our way." As he spoke, Larry removed a net from the cab of the truck, but stopped short as a screeching noise pierced the air. Everyone wheeled around- Skelefly was back on its feet, its wings spread wide.

"Uh-oh," Red murmured. "Should we start running now?" he asked Violet.

Violet shook her head. "Wait," she said as Skelefly looked her in the eyes. Slowly, Violet approached the Data Pokémon, never breaking eye contact. Or, eye-to-eye-socket contact, as the case may be. After a few moments, Violet smiled and turned to face Team Error. "OK, Team Error," she stated. "Like my boyfriend said, you guys aren't getting away with this! Skelefly, go!"

With another screech and a flap of its wings, Skelefly was in the air again, hovering in place, ready to battle. 'M and Z4 exchanged nervous glances, as did their trainers.

"'M, use your Take Down attack!" Jeff ordered.

"Skelefly, Defense Curl!" called Violet.

To general astonishment, the Missingno. pulled itself into a vaguely spherical shape, and appeared to not take much damage from the attack. As the Missingno. pulled itself out of the Defense Curl, Orange and Red exchanged surprised glances.

"Did Skelefly just obey Violet?" Red asked.

"Looks like it!" Orange nodded.

"Nice, Skelefly," grinned Violet. Skelefly gave a short screech in reply, though this did not sound nearly as unpleasant as its usual screeches.

"Your turn, Z4!" exclaimed Larry. "Use Pound!"

"Skelefly! Flamethrower!" ordered Violet.

As Z4 zoomed forward, buzzing menacingly, Skelefly opened its bony mouth and unleashed a stream of fire from within, and the Bug/Poison-type was roasted within seconds.

"'M! Sky Attack now!" exclaimed Jeff.

As Violet opened her mouth, she noticed that the truck was starting to pull away. "No, you don't!" she exclaimed. "Skelefly, use Bone Club on the truck!"

Screeching loudly, Skelefly dove down and took a swipe at the truck's tires with its skeletal wing, slashing the rear tires in one move. The truck came to a stop as Skelefly flew over to the net under which the rest of the Pokémon were trapped, and pried it open with its wings. The Pokémon all raced out, dashing towards their respective trainers happily.

"Oh, we're screwed," Jeff muttered.

"Yep," nodded Larry.

"Dodrio, Drill Peck those cages open!" Red ordered.

"And now, Skelefly, Egg Bomb attack!" Violet ordered once Dodrio had started to open up the cages. Once all the pPkMnp had escaped, however, Skelefly didn't get a chance to attack- the group of Fortress Pokémon all blasted Jeff and Larry with their Sludge attacks at once.

"Yeah, we're outta here," stated one of the other Team Error grunts as the group exited the truck and took off running the same way the trio had come in the first place.

"Right behind you!" Jeff shouted as he and Larry withdrew 'M and Z4 and took off after them as fast as they could go.

"All right!" exclaimed Orange as Violet hugged Skelefly. "We did it, guys!" He then turned to face the pPkMnp. "Go on home, guys," he added.

The pPkMnp all gave low yet friendly growls before they started hopping off towards a cluster of trees which all seemed to be made out of plastic, aluminum siding, and various even numbers. As they did so, Red, Orange, and Violet proceeded to return all their Pokémon to their Poké Balls.

"Well, that wasn't exactly as relaxing as I was hoping it to be," sighed Violet. "Still, I think we should get moving. We can still get to Chufisa City by nightfall, get something to eat, get a good night's sleep, and then we'll challenge the Gym in the morning."

"Works for me," shrugged Red. "Let's go, then.

With that, the trio headed off, continuing west, until they could see an assortment of houses that seemed to be made of hedges, roofing tiles, nines, fours, and wooden fences in the distance.

"Aha!" Orange exclaimed. "There it is, Chufisa City!"


	30. Two Heads Are Better

By the time the trio had entered Chufisa City and arrived at the Pokémon Center, the sun was really starting to set, and it was starting to get dark. Red, Orange, and Violet wasted no time in healing up their Pokémon. While the nurse was tending to them, they grabbed some dinner in the cafeteria. Once Orange had polished off his fried nines, the doors to the center burst open.

Two Chansey were pushing a stretcher, which was carrying an obviously badly hurt Hypno. Following close behind was a young boy, obviously Hypno's trainer. Concerned, the trio made their way into the lobby as the Hypno was wheeled into another room.

"What happened to that Hypno?" asked Orange as the nurse was handing them back their Poké Balls.

"Oh, the trainer had just come from Chufisa Gym," sighed the nurse. "It's like this all the time, every time someone goes and challenges Vanna."

"Really?" Red remarked. "She must be pretty good."

"That's an understatement, I'm afraid," the nurse replied. "Vanna's been the Gym Leader for three years, she gets challengers every week, and I think she's only given a total of five badges."

Orange gave a low whistle. "Wow," he remarked. "So, guys," he added, turning to Red and Violet, "Am I the only one getting totally pumped up for this?"

"Yeah, kinda," Red nodded. "Judging from what we were just told, somehow I'm not liking our odds here."

"Well, Gym Leaders aren't supposed to be weak," laughed Orange. "A good challenge is my idea of a good time! C'mon, let's get some sleep. I want to get to the Gym already and win me badge number six!"

Sighing, Red and Violet followed the excitable Orange to the room the nurse had given them for the night, and due to the tiring nature of their day, it wasn't long before they were all asleep, complete with earplugs in Red and Violet's ears to drown out Orange's usual snores.

The next morning, Orange was the first one up, and was already raring to go by the time Violet and Red had woken up. "Come on, guys!" Orange exclaimed.

"Orange, can we have breakfast first?" asked Violet.

"Right!" nodded Orange as he wheeled around, now leading them to the cafeteria instead. "Most important meal of the day, breakfast, can't forget that!"

Several slices of whole wheat zero toast later (and some fried nines, in Red and Orange's cases), the trio exited the Pokémon Center, Orange leading the way. Twice Violet had to correct him, as she had thought to ask directions from the nurse beforehand, though finally, they arrived at a large building that seemed to be covered with (or perhaps made out of) poison ivy. Mercifully, the doors appeared to be made out of large eights, so they could be safely pushed open.

As they entered the Gym, the lights turned on, revealing the usual large dirt battlefield which appeared to be the norm in most Pokémon Gyms, surrounded by very high wood-paneled walls. At the end of the battlefield, there stood a girl who looked older than Violet (though not by too much- she couldn't have been too much older than 22). She wore a purple t-shirt with a yellow skull-and-crossbones design on the front, with matching purple pants, and her black hair flowed down to her waist.

"Well, well, well, three more victims to be rushed to the Pokémon Center," smirked the woman. "Welcome to Chufisa Gym. I am, of course, the lovely Vanna, the Gym Leader around here. Now, how about I get the names of those I'm about to utterly destroy?"

"No, but how about we give you our names instead?" retorted Orange. "Orange McPixel. This is my good friend Red Vershunn, and this is the lovely Violet Scramble. We all come from Talpel Town and we're here for Gym battles."

"Hah!" cackled Vanna. "You three actually think you can win against me? We'll just see about that, won't we? How about you first, redhead?" she said to Orange.

"Works for me," Orange stated as he stepped into the challenger's box. "Ready to lose?"

"I could ask you the same thing," smirked Vanna as she enlarged a Poké Ball she was holding in her hand. "Rules here are simple. One Pokémon each."

Orange nodded. "Got it," he stated.

"Good luck, Orange," Violet said.

"Yeah, you can do it," nodded Red.

"Ha ha ha," laughed Vanna. "If you think your little cheering squad is gonna help you out, then you are sorely mistaken. Go, Poké Ball!" she yelled as she flung the sphere onto the battlefield, which sprang open, unleashing in a flash of light a hovering creature composed almost entirely of two lavender heads of different size.

"Weezing," it groaned.

"A Weezing," muttered Orange. "All right, then let's get started!" he exclaimed as he threw a Poké Ball. "Q! Go!" he yelled as the cube-shaped form of Orange's starter materialized. As the two Pokémon faced each other, Vanna made the first move.

"Weezing! Sludge attack now!" Vanna commanded.

"Q, Water Gun!" Orange ordered.

Simultaneously, Weezing and Q blasted forceful streams of sludge and water respectively, though the Sludge attack was able to cut right through the Water Gun. Q cried out in pain as the Poison move met its mark.

"Whoa!" Red exclaimed. "That's some power there!"

"A minor setback!" scoffed Orange. "Q, use Confusion!"

"Weezing, use your SmokeScreen!" said Vanna.

"Weezing weez," groaned Weezing as it forcefully sprayed a thick, dark cloud of smoke from the various pores on its body. Though Q's Confusion blasted right through the cloud, Weezing made no sound. Instead, the smoke cloud just got bigger.

"Come on, Q!" called Orange. "BubbleBeam attack!"

"Weezing, Tackle it now!" Vanna shouted.

"Kyuuuuu," trilled Q as it sprayed a forceful stream of bubbles from the front of its body. However, Weezing emerged from another part of the cloud, and rammed Q hard.

"Q!" Orange exclaimed, for the Water/Psychic-type was now wobbling in midair unsteadily.

"Weezing, Toxic attack!" ordered Vanna.

"BubbleBeam!" Orange yelled.

As Q unleashed another spray of bubbles, Weezing flew above Q, unleashing a black fog from both mouths which briefly engulfed the Deep Sea Pokémon before fading away. As this happened, however, Q was now groaning in pain.

"Q's been poisoned- badly poisoned!" Violet stated. "Toxic is a sinister Poison-type move. The poisoning it induces gets worse over time! Orange, you gotta take that thing out now!"

"Right," nodded Orange. "Q, use your Confusion attack!"

"Weezing, Thunderbolt now!" yelled Vanna.

"Weezing WEEEEZ!" bellowed both of Weezing's heads as the Poison-type crackled with electricity before blasting a powerful lightning bolt. Q was firing off a light blue ray of Psychic energy, but was unable to fend off the Electric move- screeches and squeals of agony could be heard from Q as the electricity from Weezing's Thunderbolt coursed through its body, and as the attack finished, Q landed, smoking slightly, on the floor and ceased any further movement.

"Looks like we win," smirked Vanna as she withdrew Weezing and placed its Poké Ball on the nearby healing machine. "Next victim."

"Q, return," Orange said as he held out the Poké Ball, withdrawing his starter. Dejectedly, he walked off the battlefield. Violet watched this for a moment before dashing out into the challenger's box herself.

"Alright, now it's my turn," stated Violet. "And you're the one who's gonna go down, Vanna."

"Oh, we'll see about that," smirked Vanna as she took the Poké Ball off the healing machine and threw it. "Show time, Weezing!" she exclaimed as the Poison Gas Pokémon appeared once more.

"Violet, why not use your own Weezing?" suggested Orange.

"I have a better idea," Violet smirked as she threw a Poké Ball. "Tombstone, I choose you!" she shouted as the h Poké materialized.

At this, Vanna cackled. "I see, you think just because you're using a Poison-type that my Weezing will be at a disadvantage. Toxic can't work on Poison-types, after all. But you'll see there's much more to Weezing than just poison. Weezing, use Thunderbolt!"

"Weezing WEEEZ!" bellowed Weezing as it fired off a sizzling bolt of lightning.

"Tombstone, Night Shade!" Violet ordered.

"h Poké!" exclaimed Tombstone in its eerie, echoing voice as a black energy bolt burst forth from the front of its body, colliding with the Thunderbolt. The attacks struggled against each other for a moment, though Thunderbolt won out, lighting the Ghost/Poison-type up for a moment.

"Tombstone, use HM02!" Violet commanded.

Though nothing seemed to happen, Weezing began to show signs of slight fatigue. All four eyes started drooping, and its floating became increasingly wobbly.

"Snap out of it, Weezing!" snapped Vanna. "Use Fire Blast!"

"Weez weeeeez!" bellowed Weezing as a tremendous plume of flame erupted forth from the mouth of the larger head, the flames taking the shape of what seemed to vaguely resemble a stick figure of some sort. Before the h Poké or its trainer could react, Tombstone was struck by the Fire move, and once it was over, several nasty burns could be seen on Tombstone's body.

"Uh-oh," murmured Orange. "Tombstone's burned."

"Tombstone, blast it with Psychic!" Violet ordered.

"SmokeScreen!" shouted Vanna.

As a brightly colored wave of energy emanated from Tombstone's body, Weezing unleashed another thick cloud of smoke, this time blanketing the entire battlefield in seconds.

"Tombstone, come on!" Violet called. "You can do this!

"And now, Weezing, Mimic attack!" cackled Vanna.

Weezing emerged above the cloud of smoke, the skull-and-crossbones design on its larger head glowing brightly.

"Get out of there, Tombstone!" Violet shouted. "And use your Confuse Ray!"

"Weezing, Psychic now!" Vanna commanded.

As Tombstone warily flew up and out of the SmokeScreen, it was instantly met with a wave of Psychic energy from its two-headed adversary. "Po! Poké!" grunted Tombstone as it reeled from the super effective hit. However, Tombstone was not down just yet, and the patterns and designs on the front of its body seemed to melt and distort as a ray of light shined off of it. Instantly, Weezing's eyes became unfocused- all four of them- and it started to fly about erratically.

"We got it, Tombstone!" grinned Violet. "Take Down now!"

"Weezing, Psychic attack once more!" shouted Vanna.

As the Spirit Pokémon charged forward, Weezing began to send waves of Psychic power in multiple directions, though none of them in Tombstone's direction. Tombstone then slammed into Weezing, though seemed to reel from the blow.

"Direct hit!" Violet exclaimed. However, at that point, Tombstone collapsed to the floor. "What?!" Violet exclaimed, this time in shock and anger. "What- but- how-"

"Poor judgement on your part," sneered Vanna as she withdrew Weezing. "Your h Poké had already taken so much damage from Weezing's attacks that the recoil damage from Take Down was sufficient to knock itself out."

Speechless, Violet wordlessly withdrew Tombstone and stepped back as Vanna placed Weezing's Poké Ball on the healing machine.

"Red," Orange said to his friend quietly, "Do me a favor, OK? Take that Weezing out."

"You got it," nodded Red. He gave Orange and Violet a confident smile as he stepped onto the battlefield.

"Three victims this soon after breakfast," remarked Vanna. "It's gonna be a good day, I can tell. Weezing, let's go!" she exclaimed as she tossed her Poké Ball once more.

"I choose you! Charizard!" Red shouted as he also threw a Poké Ball.

In simultaneous twin flashes of light, Vanna's Weezing and Red's Charizard materialized on their respective ends of the battlefield.

"Charizard, stay alert," Red advised his starter. "That Weezing is good. You'll have to stay focused and avoid its attacks."

"Let's get started," smirked Vanna. "Weezing! Thunderbolt!"

"Evade it, Charizard!" Red called. "In the air now!"

As Weezing crackled with electricity, Charizard gave a great flap of its wings and was airborne within seconds. The Thunderbolt struck the ground just below Charizard, right where it was standing seconds ago.

"Charizard! Flamethrower!" Red ordered.

"Weezing! Smog attack now!" Vanna yelled.

"Weezing," groaned Weezing as it began to emit thick clouds of poisonous gas from its mouths. As Charizard unleashed Flamethrower, the flames reacted with the cloud of gas, causing them to explode back at Charizard, knocking the Fire/Flying-type to the ground.

"Damn!" grunted Red. "Charizard, come on, that's just a minor setback! Use Slash!"

In an instant, Charizard was in the air once more, this time with its claws glowing as it flew right at Weezing.

"Toxic attack now!" Vanna ordered.

"Blow it away!" was Red's order.

Weezing blasted a sinister black fog from its mouths, but Charizard came to a stop in midair and flapped its wings forcefully, preventing the poison move from making contact.

"Not bad," conceded Vanna. "Now, Weezing, Sludge attack!"

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Red called.

At the center of the battlefield, the stream of flames met the jet of sludge, and both attacks struggled against each other for a moment. The two appeared to be evenly matched.

"All right, Weezing, you know what to do," smirked Vanna. In response, the mouth on Weezing's second head opened up, and another stream of sludge flew out of it. This smaller Sludge attack flew past where its larger counterpart was trying to get past Flamethrower, and struck Charizard in its right wing. Charizard exclaimed in surprise, stopping its Flamethrower attack involuntarily, which was all Weezing needed for its Sludge attack to connect.

"Charizard!" Red exclaimed. "Try a Mega Punch!"

"Weezing, Thunderbolt it!" Vanna ordered.

"Weezing WEEEZ!" exclaimed Weezing as it fired off a bolt of electricity. Charizard, flying towards the Poison-type with its right hand clenched into a fist, dove in midair to evade the Thunderbolt. However, Weezing didn't give up, and fired off more Thunderbolts. Charizard flew up to avoid the second one, but the third one hit it dead on.

"No! Charizard!" Red shouted as his starter collapsed to the ground, barely stirring.

Vanna laughed as she called Weezing back to its Poké Ball. "Well, any time you three need to have your rear ends handed to you again, I'll be right here," she said.

Ignoring her, Violet addressed the other two as Red withdrew Charizard. "We should get to the Pokémon Center," she stated.

"No objections here," Red replied.

"Yeah, let's go," Orange added as the trio made haste in exiting the Gym.

In the Pokémon Center, Red, Orange, and Violet were all sitting restlessly in the lobby as they waited for the nurse to return with Charizard, Tombstone, and Q.

"It's been fifteen minutes," sighed Orange. "This is unbearable."

"I know," agreed Violet. "But was that Gym Leader the rudest person you've ever met or what?"

"I know, right?" said Red. "Having confidence in your Pokémon is one thing, but the way she was talking, you'd think she was in command of a legendary Pokémon of some sort."

At that moment, they heard approaching footsteps, and the three Trainers looked up simultaneously to see the nurse approaching them with three Poké Balls.

"They're all fine," she smiled, which reassured them greatly.

"Thanks," Orange said as he took Q's Poké Ball.

"You know, from what you've told me, you three actually did a bit better against Vanna than most of her challengers. A lot of them barely ever manage to land a single hit on Weezing. I think that with a little additional training, you might actually be able to beat her."

"Really?" Red said. The nurse responded by nodding.

"Well, I guess we could stand to do some extra training," Orange stated. "Any good places around here to train?" he asked the nurse.

"Well, yes, actually," the nurse responded. "Just north of here, you'll find the Fight Zone, an area where Pokémon Trainers gather to train against one another. Each day, whoever wins the most battles is allowed to battle the Fight Zone's warden, too, and if you can beat him, he gives out a prize of some sort."

"Sounds cool," grinned Orange. "What do you say, guys?" he added, turning to face Red and Violet.

"I'm in," Red said.

"Same here," added Violet.

"Well, your Charizard, h Poké, and Q are fighting fit once more, so if you wanted, you could go right now," said the nurse. "Do you need directions?"

"Nah, we're good," Orange replied as he stood up. "C'mon, guys," he added as he led the way out the door.

"Coming," smiled Violet as she and Red stood up. Once Orange was out of earshot, however, she turned to the nurse and muttered, "We need directions. We need directions very badly."


	31. Eevee's Choice

The streets of Chufisa City, as Red, Orange, and Violet learned, were paved mostly with nines, sevens, rocks, and perfectly square pools of water. There was also, of course, the occasional freeze arch- easily avoided.

"Alright, I think we better start talking strategy," Red stated as they made their way down one particularly long stretch of road. "Orange, one thing I've noticed is that Weezing makes use of SmokeScreen every time there's a Psychic move going its way-"

"We'll talk strategy later, Red," Orange interrupted. "In the meantime, we're here!" Red looked- Orange was pointing directly ahead of them, at a small building made from rocks, sevens, and leaves. On either side, there were large walls which seemed to be formed entirely out of roofing tiles and various numbers. A small sign had been posted in front of the building, which read "Fight Zone".

"I figured it'd be a bit bigger," Red remarked.

"My guess is it's an outdoor deal," Violet stated, "and that building's just the entrance."

"Huh," Red said. "I guess that makes sense."

The trio walked up to the building, with Orange leading the way. He pushed open the (surprisingly light) slab of rock which functioned as a door, and led the way inside.

"Welcome to the Fight Zone," smiled a man who sat behind a counter inside the small building. "Admission is 500 Pokédollars per person."

"All right," Red replied as he, as well as Violet and Orange, produced the necessary funds and handed them to the man. "We're all going in, the three of us."

"First, let me see your Pokédexes," the man stated as he held up an odd-looking device which resembled a TV remote, though with fewer buttons. As Red, Orange, and Violet held up their electronic Pokémon encyclopedias, the man aimed the device at each one and pressed a button. "Done," he said. "Now your Pokédexes are programmed to count the number of battles you win within the Fight Zone. Whoever wins the most battles by the end of the day earns the right to battle the warden. Now, get out there and enjoy yourselves."

"As long as I get in some good battles, you better believe I'll enjoy myself," grinned Orange.

"That's the spirit," nodded the man. "It's Trainers like you this place was made for." At this, Orange seemed to get even more impatient than usual, and that was saying something. He led the way out the back door, and stopped short as he saw what lay before him.

Before the trio lay the Fight Zone- a massive open area. The ground was nothing but solid earth, with the white outlines of battle arenas drawn all over. Numerous Pokémon Trainers were already in action. As they looked around, Red could spot a Beedrill striking an LM4 with Twineedle, an Arbok with its coils bound tightly around a struggling Seel, and a .4 zipping all over, flying circles around an increasingly disoriented Gloom.

"Whoa!" Orange breathed in awe. Then, with no warning whatsoever, he took off running. Red and Violet hastened to keep up with him, but by the time they caught up, he was already challenging a boy somewhat younger than him to a battle. His soon to be opponent was clad in green clothing, and looked ready to battle.

"All right then, one Pokémon each, that sound good?" asked the Jr. Trainer.

"Works for me," grinned Orange as he took a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it. As he stood there, ready to unleash whichever Pokémon he was prepared to use, the Jr. Trainer made his way to the opposite end of the nearby arena. Once he was in his side's Trainer box, Orange threw the ball. "Go! Eevee!" he shouted.

In a flash of light, Orange's Eevee appeared, looking ready as ever for a good battle.

"All right, Zubat, go get it!" yelled the Jr. Trainer as he threw a Poké Ball of his own, unleashing the Poison/Flying-type into the air.

Orange made the first move. "Eevee! Quick Attack!"

"Zubat, Confuse Ray now!" ordered the Jr. Trainer.

Zubat opened its mouth and a strange multicolored light shone from within, but before anything else could happen, Eevee dashed forward at top speed, jumped up, and slammed into the Bat Pokémon, knocking it to the ground.

"Vee!" barked Eevee as it landed back on the ground, grinning as Zubat wearily flapped its way back into the air.

"Don't take that lying down, Zubat!" called the Jr. Trainer. "Wing Attack!"

"Eevee, Reflect!" Orange ordered.

As Zubat dove at Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon summoned a shimmering dome of reflective energy all around it. Zubat bounced harmlessly off the shield, but managed to stay airborne, albeit very unsteadily.

"Finish it!" Orange yelled. "Swift attack now!"

Before the Jr. Trainer could even begin to give an order, his Zubat was already being pelted with dozens of stars which were flying from Eevee's mouth. Though it tried to fly away from the assault, the stars followed Zubat wherever it went.

"Oh, come on!" whined the Jr. Trainer.

"Sorry," cackled Orange. "Swift never misses its target, see."

At that moment, the stars caught up with Zubat, who screeched as the pointy projectiles slammed into it. Once the attack had finished, Zubat crashed to the ground and moved no more. As the Jr. Trainer withdrew Zubat, Orange heard a beep from his Pokédex. Opening it up, Orange grinned as he saw a large, blue "1" displayed on the screen.

"All right," Orange grinned as he turned to where Red and Violet had been standing. "That's one for me, fellas! ...Er, guys?" he added once he noticed that Red and Violet weren't there anymore. It didn't take long for Orange to find them, however- Red was in one nearby arena, commanding his Dodrio against a Cooltrainer's Arcanine, and Violet was in the arena next to it, taking down a Hiker's Onix with her Victreebel.

As the hours passed, Red, Violet, and Orange all engaged in numerous Pokémon battles. Red led Charizard on to victory against a Lickitung, expertly commanded Parasect in the taking down of a pPkMnp, and flattened a Primeape with Snorlax. Orange blew away an opposing Wigglytuff with Fearow, destroyed a Shellder with .4, and commanded A to victory against a Voltorb. Violet took out a Pidgeotto with Skelefly, used Tombstone to knock out a Pinsir, and helped Migraine to claim victory over an 'M. They fought battle after battle, occasionally making use of the various healing machines which had been conveniently placed in various locations around the park, as the numbers on their Pokédexes' battle counters rose higher and higher.

Finally, Red, Violet, and Orange had each finished a battle simultaneously, allowing them to spend several minutes together- it wasn't uncommon for one of them to be challenged while watching one of the other two battling, after all.

"OK, how many wins you guys got so far?" asked Orange, a broad grin on his face. It was clear he was enjoying himself immensely.

"Thirty-five," replied Red.

"Thirty-nine," added Violet.

"Fifty-six for me!" Orange exclaimed. "And hey, guys, I was thinking... maybe it's time I evolved Eevee."

"Really?" said Violet. "What are you gonna evolve it into?"

"That's just it, I don't know yet," replied Orange. "I'm gonna let it decide for itself." As he said this, Orange held up a Poké Ball, allowing his Eevee to emerge from within. The Normal-type landed on the ground and looked up at its trainer.

"Vee?" asked Eevee, tilting its head to one side.

"OK, Eevee," Orange said as he knelt down and dug into his backpack, pulling out the three evolution stones from within. "I'm thinking this might be a good time for you to choose which way you want to evolve. This is a Water Stone," he explained, pointing to the glassy blue rock. "If you go with this, you'll evolve into a Water-type, Vaporeon. This," he said as he pointed at the glassy yellow rock, "is a Fire Stone. You take this, you evolve into the Fire-type Flareon. And this," he said, pointing at the glassy green stone, "is a Thunderstone. This will evolve you into the Electric-type Jolteon. And once you make your choice, there's no going back."

"Vee..." murmured Eevee as it looked over the assortment of stones, a look of uncertainty on its face.

After a moment, Orange spoke up again. "You know, there's a fourth option, Eevee," he said. "You don't actually have to evolve. Not if you don't want to."

Red and Violet looked on at this scene, intent on staying to find out what Eevee's choice would be... at least, until a Black Belt stormed over and challenged Red to a battle, practically dragging him over to a nearby arena. Violet, meanwhile, rolled her eyes as the Super Nerd who challenged her to a battle started flirting with her.

"All right! Let's do this!" exclaimed the Black Belt with a wholly unnecessary amount of loudness in his voice as he and Red took their positions at the opposite ends of an arena. "Hitmonlee! Go!" he bellowed as he flung a Poké Ball forward.

In a flash of light, a vaguely human-shaped Pokémon appeared. Instead of a head, two eyes were visible near the top of its brown torso, and its legs closely resembled tightly coiled springs. Red took out his Pokédex and held it out in front of him.

"Hitmonlee, the Kicking Pokémon," droned the device. "Repeatedly kicks its enemy with legs that freely stretch and contract. Some people refer to it as the "'kicking master'."

"Well, let's see how the kicking master fares against this," stated Red as he threw a Poké Ball. "Dodrio!" he shouted as his three-headed bird emerged from its spherical confines.

"Hah!" roared the Black Belt. "Hitmonlee! Jump Kick!"

"Monlee!" exclaimed the Hitmonlee as it jumped into the air, and aimed a kick at Dodrio on its descent.

"Dodrio, Fly!" Red ordered.

Two of Dodrio's heads faced down, and tons of rocket exhaust and flames blasted from their beaks, propelling the Triple Bird Pokémon high into the air, and more importantly, out of the path of Hitmonlee's Jump Kick. The Fighting-type crashed to the ground, and started clutching its leg.

"Now, Dodrio!" Red exclaimed.

"Driooooo!" cawed Dodrio as it dove down and slammed into Hitmonlee. As Dodrio climbed back to its feet and backed away, it was clear that Fly had scored a one-hit KO.

"Gaaaah!" exclaimed the Black Belt in a remarkable impression of Terrence as he withdrew his fallen Hitmonlee. "You!" he roared as he stormed across the battlefield and approached Red. Though Red briefly considered fleeing from this man, the Black Belt proceeded to shake Red's hand. "Good battle!" exclaimed the Black Belt before walking away. Red just stood there as it slowly sunk in that the Black Belt was not a sore loser- he was just loud. He was shaken out of this as a voice boomed over the Fight Zone over various speakers located all over the park.

"Attention, Pokémon Trainers," the voice announced. "Today's battling is concluded. Once you have finished whatever battle you are currently involved in, please report to the entrance for the announcement of today's winner."

Red wandered around in search of Violet and Orange. He found Orange first, though Eevee was no longer out of its Poké Ball. "Orange, what did Eevee choose?" asked Red.

"You'll see," was all Orange said as they went to find Violet. This search, as it turned out, did not take very long at all, for Violet was in the middle of a battle not far from there.

"OK, Skulls, let's wrap this up!" Violet was shouting. "Sludge attack!"

"Weezing weez," groaned Skulls as both heads blasted the opposing LM4 with streams of smelly black gunk.

"No! Come on, LM4!" exclaimed the Fisherman currently commanding the Bubble Cube Pokémon. "Use Water Gun!"

"Foooouuuur!" bellowed LM4 as it suddenly unleashed a blast of water which started to overpower the Sludge.

"Excellent!" grinned the Fisherman. "Now use your Quick Attack!"

"L M, L M four!" squealed LM4 as it flopped forward with great speed.

"Skulls, use Thunderbolt!" Violet commanded.

"Weezing WEEEEZ!" bellowed Skulls as a sizzling bolt of lightning issued from its body, directly striking the oncoming Water/Fighting-type. Once the attack had ceased, so did LM4's movement.

"Damn," sighed the Fisherman as he withdrew his LM4. "Don't worry about it, LM4, you were great out there," he said, addressing the Poké Ball in his hand. After thanking Violet for the battle, he wandered off.

"OK, final totals?" asked Orange. "I got fifty-six."

"Forty-one," Violet replied.

"Thirty-six," Red answered.

"So, Orange, what did Eevee choose to do?" Violet asked.

In response, Orange merely gave a small smile. "You'll see," was all he said.

"Yeah, he wouldn't tell me, either," Red sighed. "I guess... we'll see," he shrugged as they approached the crowd of trainers who had gathered near the entrance building. Standing on a raised platform to the right of the building was a somewhat elderly man dressed in a suit. No fewer than six Poké Balls could be seen attached to his belt. It was this man who was currently speaking into a microphone.

"Alright. Thank you all for coming. I am the Fight Zone warden, and as you all know, whoever has won the most battles here today wins the privilege of taking me on in a one-on-one battle. Now then, according to our computer systems, I am told that the trainer with the most wins today is... Orange McPixel from Talpel Town with a whopping fifty-six wins!"

"YES!" Orange exclaimed as he charged forward, making his way over to the platform.

"Wow. Good for him," remarked Violet. Red nodded in agreement.

"Very well, lad," grinned the warden as Orange finally approached him and identified himself with his Pokédex. "Now then, if you can defeat me in battle, you will earn a special prize- the coveted HM03! A Hidden Machine which will teach your Pokémon Surf."

"Awesome!" exclaimed Orange. "Oh, I'm definitely winning."

"We shall soon see about that," the warden stated. "Kindly make your way to the end of the arena," he said as he pointed to one end of the platform. Though Red couldn't see it, he supposed the platform was set up like an arena. As Orange walked over to one end, the warden made his way over to the other end. "You choose your Pokémon first," called the warden.

"Your funeral," grinned Orange as he detached a Poké Ball from his belt and enlarged it. "Time to taste the awesome power of my newly evolved Pokémon!" he exclaimed as he threw the ball. "Go!" he shouted.

The ball split open in midair, and as the flash of light faded, there stood before Orange a quadrupedal creature with reddish-orange fur all over its body. A tuft of especially fluffy-looking tan fur sprouted from its head, and its tail appeared to be made of nothing but the same kind of fur. It also had a tan collar of fur around its neck. "Flaaaaare!" shouted the Pokémon.

"So Eevee evolved into Flareon!" Red stated. Violet held up her Pokédex.

"Flareon, the Flame Pokémon, and one of three possible evolved forms of Eevee," said Violet's Pokédex. "Flareon has a flame bag inside its body. After inhaling deeply, it blows out flames of nearly 3,100 degrees Fahrenheit."

"Hmm, a Flareon?" remarked the warden as he selected a Poké Ball. "All right then, let's see how you handle this!" He threw the ball and called out, "Go, Missingno.!"

As the warden's Poké Ball hit the floor, it opened up, and unleashed what appeared to be a skeletal, bipedal creature with vicious scythes for arms. Its entire body was composed of bones. "Misssssingno.," it hissed menacingly. Orange held out his Pokédex in response to this Pokémon's appearance.

"Missingno., the Data Pokémon," it droned. "Missingno. in Kabutops Skeleton Form are highly capable swimmers. It is capable of learning a wide variety of attacks, and its type will constantly change to match another Pokémon in the area."

"Another form of Missingno.?" Red murmured. "That is strange..."

"Let's go, Flareon!" exclaimed Orange. "Quick Attack!"

"Missingno., Rock Throw!" ordered the warden.

Missingno. slashed its scythes through the air rapidly, each slash seeming to create a rock out of nothing and propelling the rock through the air. Flareon, meanwhile, charged forward, deftly weaving its way between the flying rocks before tackling Missingno. to the ground.

"Missingno.!" called the warden. "Get up, and use your Bonemerang attack!"

"Flareon, give it a taste of your Flamethrower!" yelled Orange.

Missingno. climbed to its feet, and viciously swiped at the air, causing its entire right arm to detach from its body. The disembodied appendage soared through the air, spinning rapidly as it did so. Flareon, meanwhile, opened its mouth wide, and unleashed a blazing stream of fire from within. Missingno. screeched and hissed in pain as the attack connected, but Flareon was forced to stop as the Bonemerang hit it in the back of the head. The arm flew back to Missingno. and automatically reattached to its body.

"Now, Missingno., use your Headbutt!" commanded the warden.

"Flareon, Smog!" Orange called out.

As Missingno. charged forward, Flareon exhaled a large plume of poisonous black fog from its mouth. The Data Pokémon charged right into the cloud, and started coughing. The smog cleared away to reveal that Missingno. had collapsed as a result of the Poison move.

"Let's wrap this up," grinned Orange. "Flareon, use Swift!"

"Flaaaare!" replied Flareon as it launched a number of star-shaped rays from its mouth. The stars pelted Missingno. as it tried to shield itself with its skeletal scythes. Once the attack was finished, Missingno. wobbled in place for a moment, before collapsing to the floor and moving no more.

The warden bowed his head as he returned Missingno. to its Poké Ball. "Very nicely done, Orange," he stated as he made his way across the battlefield. "You deserve this prize." As he said this, he dug a light blue disc out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Orange, who eagerly accepted it.

"Aw, sweet!" Orange exclaimed as he examined the disc.

Once Orange had thanked the warden, shaken his hand, and got down off the raised platform, he made his way back over to Red and Violet.

"Congratulations, Orange," grinned Red.

"Yeah," added Violet as she wrapped her arms around Orange. Given that they seemed to be taking things easier as of late, Red raised no objections as Orange and Violet started to kiss.

"Okay, _now_ let's talk strategy," Red stated as the trio made their way down the streets of Chufisa City, on their way back to the Pokémon Center for the night.

"Good idea," nodded Violet. "Now, any time there's a Psychic move going Weezing's way, Vanna orders a SmokeScreen. One thing we should think of is a way to get aound that."

"Also, we gotta remember to steer clear of Fire moves, or she'll do that thing with Smog," added Orange.

"And Violet, I think you might have actually won that last battle with her if you had had Tombstone use something like Night Shade instead of Take Down," Red stated. "I'm thinking it's a good idea all around to steer clear of moves with recoil damage like that, at least for this battle. Now, let's start thinking which Pokémon it would be best for each of us to use with all that in mind..."

They continued to talk about this even as they re-entered the Pokémon Center, right up until Red and Violet put earplugs in their ears as they all prepared to go to sleep. Orange rolled his eyes at this sight and launched into a speech about how they were exaggerating the volume of his snores, but as Red and Violet couldn't hear a thing, all that got through to them of Orange's tirade were the funny hand gestures.


	32. Second Time's The Charm

The doors of the Chufisa City Pokémon Gym flew open as Orange confidently stepped inside, Red and Violet following close behind. Though she jumped a bit initially at the sudden noise, Vanna smirked as she saw the trio. "Ah, yes," she sneered. "The three losers from the other day, I remember. Back for more punishment, hmm?"

"We're back for our badges," Orange responded. "We're here to win!"

Vanna laughed at this. "You really think you got what it takes? I was under the impression you three wimps gave it all you got last time."

"Wimps, are we?" demanded Violet. "Go on, Orange, show her just how wimpy we are."

"It'll be my pleasure," stated Orange as he stepped into the challenger's box, a Poké Ball already in his hand.

"Well, I suppose I could whip you three again to get me warmed up for the day," smirked Vanna as she walked over to the battlefield, taking her position opposite Orange. Vanna then threw her Poké Ball onto the battlefield. "Weezing, time to win!" she shouted as her Poison-type materialized.

"Weezing," it groaned.

Orange took this cue to throw his own Poké Ball. "Let's go, Q!" he shouted.

In a flash of light, Orange's Q materialized, the Deep Sea Pokémon hovering in midair. "Kyuuuuuu," it sang.

"Making the same mistakes all over again, I see," Vanna sneered. "Weezing, let's give them a Thunderbolt."

"Dodge it!" yelled Orange.

"Weezing WEEEZ!" bellowed Vanna's Weezing as it unleashed a sizzling bolt of electricity. Quickly, Q floated up and evaded the attack.

"Alright, Q, use your Confusion attack!" Orange ordered.

"Kyuuuu," trilled Q as it released a ray of blue energy from one of its corners.

"Weezing! SmokeScreen!" commanded Vanna.

"Weeeeeez," groaned Weezing as thick clouds of black smoke erupted from its pores, blanketing a large portion of the battlefield in smoke. Though the lack of any sounds from within told everyone that Confusion had missed, Orange was grinning.

"We got 'em now, Q!" he said as the Weezing slowly rose up and out of the smoke cloud. "Disable!"

"What?!" Vanna exclaimed. "Weezing, Fire Blast!"

Q, however, proved to be the faster of the two, as a pink glow came over its yellow and black body. A similar glow then formed in all four of the Weezing's eyes, just before the larger head unleashed a star-shaped plume of fire from its mouth. Q screeched in discomfort as the move made contact, though it didn't appear to do much damage- it was, after all, a Fire move being used against a Water-type.

"I'm guessing she was hoping for Q to waste Disable on a move she wouldn't have ordinarily called for in this match," Violet remarked to Red, who nodded in agreement.

"I'm liking Orange's strategy, though," Red stated. "Now that Weezing can't use SmokeScreen, Vanna can't use it to evade Confusion anymore."

"Let's do it, Q!" Orange yelled. "Confusion attack!"

"Weezing, try your Smog attack!" Vanna called.

"Weezing weez," groaned Weezing as it proceeded to belch thick clouds of poisonous fumes from both mouths. Q's Confusion, however, cut right through the gases. Unlike with SmokeScreen, Weezing was unable to make use of Smog to shield itself with any semblance of rapidity, and therefore Orange heard the sounds of Weezing crying out as the Confusion attack connected with the Poison-type. Weezing fell to the ground, and though it was able to rise back into the air, it did so extremely unsteadily.

"Let's wrap this up," smirked Orange. "BubbleBeam!"

"Sludge attack!" Vanna yelled.

Simultaneously, Weezing fired off twin streams of sludge from its mouths as Q blasted a barrage of bubbles from its front. The attacks connected, the forceful torrent of bubbles and the streams of sludge holding each other at bay for a few moments. Then, Weezing's wobbling became somewhat more pronounced, the Confusion attack clearly having taken a toll on its stamina.

"No! Weezing!" Vanna exclaimed. However, her shouts did no good; Weezing's Sludge weakened, and Q's BubbleBeam was able to overpower the Poison move. As the bubbles blasted Weezing, it collapsed to the ground... and ceased all movement.

"I... I don't believe it!" gasped Orange. "We did it! Q, we did it, we won!"

"Kyuuuuu kyuuuuuuu!" trilled Q happily as it twirled around in midair.

Vanna said nothing at first. She wordlessly withdrew Weezing, then stormed over to where Orange stood, and pushed two objects into his hands; a pale yellow circular object with a black skull-and-crossbones design in the middle, and a purple disc which, according to the label, was a Technical Machine capable of teaching Toxic.

"Here," she grunted. "Your Sludge Badge and your TM04. It teaches Toxic." Without another word, she stormed back over to her side of the battlefield and placed Weezing's Poké Ball on a nearby healing machine.

"Nicely done, Orange," grinned Red as Orange and Violet hugged.

"Alright, now I'm up," Violet declared as she took Orange's place on the edge of the battlefield. "Not feeling so hot now, are you?" she smirked as Vanna scowled at the trio.

"That was but a fluke," growled Vanna. "Dumb redhead over there only won because of sheer dumb luck."

"That happens to be my boyfriend you're talking about," snapped Violet. "Now let's get going- it's going to be so satisfying to defeat you."

"Not even in your dreams!" exclaimed Vanna as she threw her Poké Ball. "Weezing!" she shouted as the Poison Gas Pokémon reappeared.

At the same time, Violet threw her own Poké Ball. "Flutters!" she yelled.

In a flash of light, Violet's Butterfree emerged from its ball and flapped its wings idly, floating in midair. "Freeeh, freeeeh," exclaimed the Butterfree.

Vanna snorted. "You're using a Bug and Flying-type that doesn't get any Bug moves, against a Poison-type that knows Poison, Electric, and Fire moves? That's got to be the three stupidest mistakes I've ever seen a challenger make- other than, of course, challenging me and expecting to win," she cackled.

"Yeah, well, _you're_ the three stupidest mistakes I've ever seen!" Orange blurted out. As Red and Violet gave him a funny look, Orange blinked and muttered, "OK, that was bad..."

Vanna, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying this. "Hah!" she cackled. "What a way with words your man has," she laughed sarcastically.

Violet frowned at this. "OK, you listen up," she hissed. "Nobody but me talks about Orange like that. Flutters, go!"

"Freeh!" replied the Butterfree as it flew forward.

"Go get it, Weezing!" ordered Vanna.

"Weezing," groaned Weezing as it too floated forward.

"Yeah! You got this, Vi!" cheered Orange.

"Weezing, use Sludge!" commanded Vanna.

"Flutters, Harden attack!" called Violet.

As two identical streams of sludge flew across the battlefield, Flutters stopped flapping its wings, and became entirely motionless, its entire body appearing to gleam brightly in the light. The Sludge attack made contact, but did not seem do much damage to Flutters as the Butterfree started to fall. Once the attack had ended, however, the Butterfree started flapping its wings again, and was airborne once more. It was clear that the super-effective move had had an effect on the Butterfree, but the damage wasn't as major as it could've been, thanks to Harden.

"OK, Flutters, let's go with Psybeam!" Violet ordered.

"SmokeScreen now!" Vanna shouted.

As a multicolored beam of light erupted forth from Flutters's eyes, Weezing unleashed thick clouds of smoke in every direction. The Psybeam flew into the smoke, but Violet thought she could see it fly out the other end of the cloud. Then, she got an idea.

"Flutters, Whirlwind!" Violet ordered. Red and Orange exchanged looks of mild surprise at this command.

"Did you know she taught Flutters Whirlwind?" asked Orange.

"Nope," Red replied.

"Yeah, same here," Orange said as they turned to watch the battle again, just as Flutters was flapping its wings hard. The forceful wind it was giving off sent the SmokeScreen blowing away with little effort.

"Psybeam! Now!" Violet yelled.

"Weezing, go for another SmokeScreen-" began Vanna, but too late- Flutters launched a second Psybeam almost before its trainer had stopped talking, and struck the Weezing heads-on with the Psychic move.

"No more games!" snapped Vanna. "Weezing, Thunderbolt!"

"Flutters, use Sleep Powder!" called Violet.

"Freeeh, freeeh!" chattered Flutters as it soared above Weezing, scattering a shimmering blue dust with every flap of its wings.

"Weezing weez... weez... weeeezzzz," murmured Weezing as its attempts at an attack turned to snores- it was asleep.

"Let's finish this!" grinned Violet. "Confusion attack!"

"Freeeeheeeheeee!" bellowed Butterfree as twin rays of pale blue light issued from its eyes. Each ray struck one of Weezing's heads, and the two-headed Poison-type jolted awake- only to succumb to unconsciousness moments later.

"Oh, come ON!" screeched Vanna furiously as she withdrew Weezing (it took her multiple tries- so angry was she that her hand was shaking, and the Poké Ball's beam kept missing Weezing as a result).

"Yeah! Way to go, Vi!" grinned Orange as Violet strolled back over to him and Red, Flutters fluttering behind her.

"That was great," Red congratulated her.

"Heh, thanks," smirked Violet. She turned around to spot a seething Vanna standing before her. Wordlessly, the irate Gym Leader thrust a Sludge Badge and a TM04 into Violet's arms before storming back over to her end of the battlefield.

"Geez, she's a sore loser," remarked Orange.

"Well, looks like I'm up now," Red stated as he stepped into the box where Orange and Violet stood earlier for their battles. He selected a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it as Vanna healed up her Weezing. Once the healing machine gave a single pinging noise, she grabbed the ball off of it and threw it without a word, unleashing Weezing. Red raised an eyebrow at how progressively madder Vanna was getting, but decided to not comment on it. Instead, he called out, "Let's go, Snorlax!" as he threw his own Poké Ball.

In a burst of light, the ball opened up, unleashing the huge and heavy form of Red's Snorlax. Mercifully, the Normal-type had not chosen this time to be asleep, and was in fact standing on its stumpy feet, glaring at Weezing through its slit-like eyes. "Snooooorlaaaaax," it rumbled.

"Weezing, Sludge attack!" ordered Vanna.

"Snorlax, Harden attack!" called Red.

Like with Flutters, Snorlax stood still as its body seemed to gleam in the light. The Sludge attack barely even seemed to faze the Sleeping Pokémon.

"Now try a Thunderbolt!" yelled Vanna.

"Snorlax, Amnesia!" Red shouted.

Snorlax proceeded to absentmindedly scratch its head, as though it was trying to remember something. At that moment, a sizzling bolt of lightning struck Snorlax, but it seemed to be so preoccupied that it didn't even appear to feel the move.

"I see what Red's doing," grinned Violet. "He's boosting Snorlax's defense so Weezing can wear itself out."

"I just hope it works," Orange muttered. "Doesn't Weezing know Toxic?"

"Ooh, yeah, forgot about that," Violet muttered back.

"Screw this!" exclaimed Vanna. "Why I never taught you Haze... Weezing, try your Toxic attack!"

"Aw, craaaap," groaned Orange. Red, however, did not look worried by the clouds of poisonous gas billowing towards Snorlax.

"Use Surf!" Red commanded.

"Snor! Lax!" grunted Snorlax as its eyes glowed light blue. Then, a large tidal wave seemed to erupt right out of the ground. The wave forced the Toxic clouds to disperse harmlessly before crashing right down onto Weezing.

"Whoa!" Orange exclaimed. "So that's why Red wanted to have a look at my new HM this morning! I didn't know Snorlax could learn Surf!"

"Weezing, get up! Tackle it now!" yelled Vanna.

"Snorlax, use Headbutt!" Red ordered.

Weezing recovered from the unexpected Water-type move and charged forward. In response, Snorlax leaned back slightly, then thrust its head forward forcefully, colliding with Weezing.

"Let's wrap this up, Snorlax- Psychic attack!" Red exclaimed.

"_What?!_" Vanna screeched. "Wha- er- Weezing, SmokeScreen!" she hastily added, clearly not having expected this.

Snorlax's eyes flashed a bright blue, and its entire body emanated a wave of psychic energy. Though Weezing proceeded to unleash a SmokeScreen, the wave of energy was too large for Weezing to evade. The Poison-type collapsed to the floor, making no attempt whatsoever to get up.

"Noooooo!" Vanna wailed as she called Weezing back to its Poké Ball. "I don't understand! The other day, you all sucked! And now you're suddenly taking Weezing out easily, what is this I don't even..."

"We trained our Pokémon," stated Red.

"Yeah, and we learned a thing or two from last time," added Orange. "That helped us put our strategies together. We know SmokeScreen was Weezing's key to evading Psychic moves, hence Q's Disable."

"I knew Charizard wasn't an option, given that little stunt you pulled with Smog last time," Red continued. "So I was working with my Snorlax this morning. Taught him Surf and Psychic- thanks again for letting me borrow that HM, Orange- and not only does Amnesia help Snorlax take special hits better, it also powers up its own special attacks!"

"Flutters learned Whirlwind during our training yesterday," Violet chimed in. "That's when I got the idea to use it instead of Tombstone- between Whirlwind and Psybeam, it seemed only too perfect. And Sleep Powder didn't exactly hurt."

For a moment, Vanna was silent as she took all this in. Finally, she sighed, as though conceding defeat. "Fine," she sighed, in a decidedly calmer tone than before. "I suppose, given all that, that the three of you may very well, in fact, be better trainers than me. I'm not happy about it, but I still admit it. Here," she added as she strode over to Red and handed him a badge and a TM. "Your Sludge Badge and your TM04." She walked back across the battlefield, and once she got there, she turned around and nearly smiled at them. "I expect the three of you to have greatly improved when next we meet," she snapped. "Because you can bet I'll be training hard."

Red, Violet, and Orange all exchanged looks before grinning at Vanna. "Oh, so will we, believe me," Red replied. With that, the trio said their goodbyes to Vanna, and then exited the Gym.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Red turned to Violet and Orange. "All right, where to now?" he asked.

"Excuse me," came a voice. Red turned around- the center's nurse was walking back over to them, with three trays of Poké Balls. As the trainers accepted their Poké Balls and reattached them to their belts, the nurse continued. "If you're looking for the nearest Gym, there's the one in Nodacel City to the north."

"We've already been to that one," replied Orange.

"What about the Gym in Fansfor City?" asked the Nurse.

"Been there," said Red.

"Miliovern Gym?"

"Done that," said Violet.

"Well... I'm not sure how you'd get there, but if you can find transportation, you can cross the sea from here," suggested the nurse. "Bincanar Island's got a Pokémon Gym."

"Bincanar Island?" repeated Red, his interest piqued. "Well, maybe we could cross the sea on our Pokémon?" he asked.

"You could if they knew Surf," the nurse replied. "Surf, in addition to allowing the Pokémon to create a forceful tidal wave for attacking, helps to develop the Pokémon's swimming skills, and in some cases where it's necessary, helps them to develop the strength to carry passengers. But the HM is hard to come across-"

"I got it," Orange stated as he pulled the HM03 out of his bag.

"Oh. Well, OK, then," smiled the Nurse as she walked away from the table. At that point, Red, Violet, and Orange continued to eat their lunch.

"Alright, so what say after we're done," Orange said between mouthfuls of fried nines, "what say I teach Q and Migraine Surf, and we all set sail for Bincanar?"

"I'm all for that plan," nodded Red as he was munching on a well-done seven burger. "Finally, I'll get me some answers! I mean, I like being in Tanko a lot, but I still gotta wonder, how did I even manage to end up here in the first place?"

"I think we're all curious to know that, Red," agreed Violet as she munched on her even number salad. "I believe we're all in agreement here, then. Let's go down to the coast when we're done and get going. If we don't make any stops, we should reach Bincanar Island by nightfall."

That statement seemed to be all the motivation Red and Orange needed to finish their food quickly. Once they had all finished, Orange led the way out of the Pokémon Center and down the street. The beach wasn't too far a walk from the Center, and Red was slightly surprised to see that the beach was composed entirely of sand- he had expected a mess of gravel, clumps of grass, and assorted Nintendo gaming systems for some reason. He said nothing about it, however, as Orange and Violet sent out Q and Migraine, respectively. As Orange produced the HM03 from his bag and started to use it on his starter, Red took a Poké Ball off his belt and opened it up, unleashing his Snorlax onto the sand.

"OK, Snorlax, get ready," Red said. "We're gonna be setting sail soon."

"Lax," nodded Snorlax.

"And done!" declared Violet as the Hidden Machine fell off her Golduck's forehead and into her hand. She handed the disc back to Orange. "All right, according to the nurse's directions, we head south until we pass Afamose Islands, then we turn right and keep going straight. Ready to go?"

"Ready," nodded Orange.

"Same here," added Red.

"Then let's ride," stated Violet. "Migraine, Surf!"

"Q, Surf!" stated Orange.

"Snorlax, Surf!" Red said.

Migraine dove into the water, and resurfaced not far from the shore, looking back expectantly at Violet, as though expecting her to get on its back. Q landed in the water, bobbing idly on the waves, clearly waiting for Orange to board. And Snorlax turned its back to the water. Red was about to ask what it was doing when it then fell backwards, landing in the water with a great SPLASH, but still floated. As Red looked at Orange, confused, the latter shrugged his shoulders. "Fat floats, I guess," was all he said as he unsteadily climbed onto Q and sat down atop it. Violet, meanwhile, stood on Migraine's back, balancing carefully on the Golduck. And Red climbed up onto his Snorlax's stomach, where he had plenty of room to sit comfortably.

At once, the Pokémon started swimming. Migraine swam with beautiful form- despite its speed, Violet didn't look as though she was about to lose her balance. Q was also swimming, in spite of its distinct lack of appendages. Snorlax was kicking its stumpy feet furiously, propelling its large form forward.

"Bincanar Island, here we come!" grinned Orange as their Pokémon swam onward.


	33. The Missingno Link

It was smooth sailing for the trio as their Pokémon conveyed them across Sea Route -19. The water was calm, and as the nurse in the Chufisa City Pokémon Center had stated, Surf really seemed to work wonders for Migraine, Q, and Snorlax's swimming skills. Despite the fact that Violet had nothing to hold onto as she stood on Migraine's back, the Golduck had yet to throw her off. Q was swimming equally smoothly, enough to stop Orange from clinging to the Deep Sea Pokémon as though fearful of falling off. Snorlax, despite the laziness its species was so well known for, wasn't even slowing down in its kicking.

"I gotta say, this is pretty nice," smiled Violet as she glanced around, taking in the scenic ocean view.

"I agree," nodded Orange. "This is good- ooh! It's a wild Tentacool!"

At his words, Snorlax, Q, and Golduck gently came to a halt. Red looked- bobbing in the waves before them was a small blue creature, with what looked to be large rubies embedded in it. Just above water level, its two small eyes looked up at the trio. A pair of brown tentacles could barely be seen beneath the waves. Red recognized it as the Pokémon Walter had used, back in Ruceelna Gym. "Tentacool," it said in a slightly nasally tone. Red took out his Pokédex and pointed it at the creature.

"Tentacool, the Jellyfish Pokémon," droned the device. "Drifts in shallow seas. Anglers who hook them by accident are often punished by its stinging acid."

"Cool," Red remarked. "So, what do you guys think? Should I try to catch it?"

"Might not be a bad idea," Violet replied. "Bincanar's Gym Leader is supposed to use Fire-types, so a Water-type would be a logical choice."

"Well, that sells it for me," decided Red as he reached for his belt. "Dodrio, I choose- oh, no, wait, I don't think it can swim... OK, Parasect- ooh, no, that's not much better... Aha! Raticate, let's go!" Red called as he finally chose a Poké Ball and threw it, his Raticate materializing in the water. Raticate kicked with its webbed hind feet, keeping afloat as it faced its Water/Poison-type adversary.

Tentacool made the first move, and fired off a stream of acidic fluid from the tip of its right tentacle. Raticate took a deep breath and sank beneath the water to evade it, then resurfaced.

"Raticate, use your Quick Attack!" Red ordered.

"Rrrrraticate!" screeched Raticate as it kicked furiously, zooming through the water and colliding with Tentacool. Though this knocked the Jellyfish Pokémon back a bit, it regained its composure and unleashed a Water Gun from the smallest ruby on its head. Raticate screeched its displeasure at the high-pressure Water move.

"OK, let me try this!" Red exclaimed as he took a Poké Ball out of his bag and tossed it. "Poké Ball, go!"

The ball struck Tentacool, and sucked it inside. It landed in the water and bobbed in the waves, shuddering back and forth... and then it exploded. Everyone present shielded their faces with their hands, but the shrapnel from the ball did not fly that far as Tentacool reappeared in a flash of light. Now looking wary of the trio, Tentacool sank beneath the waves and did not resurface.

"Raticate, return," sighed Red as he held out the Normal-type's Poké Ball. Once Raticate was withdrawn, Snorlax, Q, and Migraine started to move again.

"Well, that flopped," remarked Orange.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Red," added Violet.

"It's alright, I guess," sighed Red. "I should've weakened Tentacool a little more."

"Well, I hear the seas are filled with Tentacool," Orange said, in an attempt to cheer Red up. "You'll find another one in no time."

Two hours and exactly zero Tentacool later, the trio spotted a small pair of landmasses off to the starboard side. Violet pointed them out to the other two. "Alright, we're coming up on Afamose Islands," she said.

"And let me guess," Red said after a moment of thinking to himself. "Spelled A-F-A-M-O-S-E?"

"Yep," replied Orange. "And you rearrange the letters to get...?"

"Seafoam," stated Red. "Seafoam Islands in Kanto."

"OK, hard to starboard, guys!" Violet called to the Pokémon.

"Duck?" replied Migraine.

"Kyuu?" added Q.

"Snor?" rumbled Snorlax.

Violet facepalmed. "Turn right," she hissed.

At this, all three Pokémon slowly turned to the right, so they were all swimming to the west instead of the south.

"Still no Tentacool," Red reported after scanning the sea before them. "I saw a few Magikarp here and there, though, and... I think a few 7g?"

"Ooh, 7g," Orange remarked, his interest piqued.

"Orange, no," Violet said, shaking her head. "We want to get to Bincanar Island by nightfall, remember."

"Right, right," sighed Orange.

~~~~~~~~  
The hours passed. The only change in the scenery to be reported were the blocky, pixellated sun slowly moving across the sky, and the occasional Swimmer treading water. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice the trio, or else one of them might have been challenged to a battle. Finally, as the sun was starting to set, they could see a large island in the distance. A large mountain which, at a distance, looked to be made of roofing tiles, concrete, and various numbers, stood tall on the island, pointing up at the sky.

"There it is!" Orange exclaimed. "Bincanar Island! We're almost there!"

The island grew larger as they came closer. As the beach came into clearer view, however, Red frowned as he spotted a commotion on the sand. Three people were gathered around... something. Red couldn't tell what it was, or who those people were. As the trio's Pokémon finally swam up to the beach, and the trio climbed off, Red could now identify the group of people as Team Debug grunts, and... he still couldn't tell what they were gathered around. Whatever it was, it was large- a white body, covered in black, purple, and orange markings. And the Team Debug grunts were beating it with sticks.

"Whoa!" Orange exclaimed as they withdrew their Pokémon. "What are they doing to that 'M?"

"Orange, that's a bit larger than an 'M," Violet stated. "I think it's a Missingno." At this, Red opened up his Pokédex.

"Missingno., the Data Pokémon," droned the device, as an image of what appeared to be an 'M showed up on the screen. "In its Normal Form, Missingno. highly resembles 'M, though differs in size from one. In this form, Missingno. are known for their sheer attack power." Red shuddered slightly at the sight of the strange Pokémon, but at the same time, seeing the Debug grunts beating up on it made his blood boil.

"Hey!" Red yelled as he ran over to the grunts, plus the whimpering Missingno. they were attacking. "What did this Missingno. ever do to you?" he demanded.

"Hah!" sneered one of the grunts. "Looks like a twerp wants to interfere with us!"

"Listen, kid, this piece of crap isn't a real Pokémon," added another grunt. "We can do what we want with it."

"Who are you to decide what is and isn't a Pokémon?" demanded Red. "It registers in my Pokédex, so why wouldn't it be a Pokémon?"

"Ah, screw this, just drive him off!" exclaimed the third grunt. Each grunt pulled out a Poké Ball and enlarged it.

Red, however, was ready for action. "Dodrio!" he called as he threw a Poké Ball of his own, unleashing the Triple Bird Pokémon.

"Go get it, Scyther!" shouted one of the grunts.

"Arbok, go!" yelled another grunt.

"Get 'im, Vileplume!" bellowed the third grunt.

In three flashes of light, the aforementioned Pokémon appeared- a Scyther, which Red knew by sight, a large, purple snake with fierce looking markings on a wide hood just below its head, and what appeared to be a humongous walking flower.

At that moment, Orange and Violet came running over. "What the hell?!" Orange exclaimed.

"Team Debug," replied Red. "They're messing with this Missingno."

"Scyther! Slash it to ribbons!" roared a grunt.

"Arbok, Bite!" shouted the second grunt.

"Vileplume, Acid!" commanded the third grunt.

"Dodrio, use Tri Attack!" Red exclaimed.

"Scyyyyy!" screeched Scyther as it flew forward, scythes at the ready.

"Chaaaaa!" hissed Arbok as it lunged, mouth agape, fangs bared.

"Vilepluuuuume!" exclaimed Vileplume as it leaned forward and blasted a stream of acid from the center of its flower.

"Do!" "Dri!" "O!" cawed Dodrio, each syllable covered by a different head. They arranged their heads in a triangular formation, and a ball of light formed in each mouth. Then, a large glowing triangle formed between the three orbs, and was fired off. The Acid did nothing to stop it as it plowed into Scyther and Arbok, causing them to collapse.

"Now! Drill Peck!" Red called, pointing at the still-standing Vileplume.

"Drioooo!" cawed Dodrio as it dashed forward at Vileplume, all three beaks surrounded by rapidly swirling energy. It then struck Vileplume with all three beaks, and the Grass/Poison-type toppled over.

"Let's get out of here!" exclaimed the grunt who owned Arbok as he withdrew aforementioned snake and started running. The other two grunts seemed to be in no mood to argue with him, for they withdrew Scyther and Vileplume, then took off after their colleague.

"It's almost too easy," snorted Orange. "They can't even win with three against one. Of course, given that the 'one' in this case is a Dodrio..."

Red, meanwhile, was approaching the Missingno. He was doing so extremely slowly and warily, but he still looked somewhat concerned for the Pokémon's health. At that moment, he jumped somewhat as Missingno. slowly rose up, turning itself upright. Now Red could see, it definitely resembled the L-shaped Pokémon Jeff of Team Error had been using in battle lately, though this one looked somewhat taller than the 'M. It looked to be roughly ten feet tall. "Missing Missingno.," it said to Red, smiling.

"You... er... you feeling OK?" Red tentatively asked Missingno. In response, the Bird/Normal-type slowly rose into the air, and moved its body in a motion that resembled nodding. Red managed a brave smile. "Well, that's good," he said. In response, Missingno. began to slowly fly circles around Red.

"Missingno. Missingno., ingno. Missingno.!" Missingno. was saying.

"All right," said Red. "Well, you should probably get back to where you came from. And try not to go near Team Debug again, OK?"

"Missing?" replied Missingno., sounding a little confused.

"It'll be fine," Red reassured Missingno. At this, Missingno. slowly floated out over the sea. While Red, Violet, and Orange set off in search of the Pokémon Center, none of them saw Missingno. briefly turn to look at Red once more before continuing on its way.

The streets of Bincanar Island had a tropical feel to them- paved with chunks of palm trees and coconuts mainly, with several numbers thrown in. The nurse on duty at the Pokémon Center looked decidedly more tan than the other Pokémon Center nurses they had encountered- though otherwise identical to them all, of course.

"The lab?" said the nurse in response to Violet's question. "Well, once you leave the Center, just go right. It'll be on your right, you won't be able to miss it."

"Thanks," smiled Violet.

"Of course, the lab is closed for the night, and won't be open tomorrow..." the nurse continued.

"What?!" exclaimed Orange. "Why?"

"The lab's always closed on Sundays," explained the nurse. "It'll be open again on Monday. In the meantime, you three are Pokémon Trainers, aren't you?"

"Yeah," nodded Red. Violet and Orange nodded in agreement with him.

"Well, the Gym's not closed on Sundays," smiled the nurse. "When you leave here, turn left and follow the road. You'll know the Gym when you see it." Just then, a machine in the back dinged. "Ah, your Pokémon are healed!" she exclaimed as she made her way over to the healing machine.

Once the trio had retrieved their Poké Balls from the nurse, they turned in for the night. The next morning, right after breakfast, they exited the Pokémon Center. Orange had wanted to lead the way, but given that getting to the Gym involved following the nurse's directions, Red and Violet agreed that that wasn't such a good idea. Instead, Violet led the way. The road they took overlooked the beach- all Red had to do was look to the right to see the ocean.

Before long, they came to a massive structure made chiefly out of rocks and aluminum siding. Alarmingly, parts of it appeared to be on fire, though several passersby reassured the trio that that was intentional. Sure enough, carved into a particularly large rock above the giant palm leaves which functioned as doors were the words "Bincanar Island Pokémon Gym".

"Here we are," grinned Violet. "Anyone else ready for badge number seven?"

"Hell, yeah!" exclaimed Orange. "How about you, Red? ...Er, Red?"

For at that moment, something had caught Red's attention. Something floating over the beach, right in their direction. Something tall and blocky. It was a Missingno.

"Wait a second," breathed Violet as the Data Pokémon approached them. "Isn't that the Missingno. from yesterday?"

"I... I think it is," Red said as he nervously eyed the L-shaped creature, who had begun to fly circles around him again.

"Hey, you know what?" Orange said after a moment of observing Missingno. "Red, I think Missingno.'s taken a liking to you."

"Say what?" asked Red.

"Yeah," agreed Violet. "Missingno., are you saying you want to go with Red?"

"Missing! Missingno.!" exclaimed Missingno. happily, its smile very much pronounced as it looked expectantly at Red.

Red said nothing. Though he had been slowly and steadily getting more and more used to the Tanko region, the fact remained that he still wasn't completely comfortable with the native Pokémon. But then, he recalled his own words to Team Error... Missingno. might have been among the strangest of Pokémon he had ever seen, but it was still a Pokémon. And besides, what harm could it do? As Violet and Orange had pointed out, this Missingno. had obviously taken a liking to Red... As Red met Missingno.'s gaze, he was not sure what he should do...


	34. Burn, Baby, Burn

Red and Missingno. looked into each other's eyes for a good minute, Missingno. with anticipation, Red with indecisiveness. And then, finally, Red betrayed a small smile.

"Well," he said as he dug into his backpack, "I suppose I do need a sixth Pokémon... a full team would help for sure in the Pokémon League, wouldn't it?" As he said this, he withdrew his hand from his backpack, and it was clutching a Poké Ball. At the sight of this, Missingno. exclaimed happily.

"Missing! Missingno.!" Missingno. cheered happily as it slowly moved forward, gently bumping the ball's button with the front of its face. Immediately, the ball opened up along the black band, and Missingno. was converted into a mass of red transparent energy, which was then sucked into the ball. Once all of Missingno. was inside, the ball snapped shut and immediately gave the telltale ping to indicate a successful capture.

"Nice!" grinned Orange as he patted Red on the back. "I knew you'd start warming up to Tanko's Pokémon!"

"I'm still in the process of doing that, I think," Red replied. "Still... At least I'm willing to make the effort, right?"

"It's a step in the right direction," Violet nodded approvingly. "Now, let's get on with this." With that, she pushed aside the giant palm leaves and stepped into the building.

The interior of Bincanar Gym looked as though it had been carved entirely out of reddish-brownish rock. A number of burning torches attached to the walls provided a sort of dim light to the room. As usual, there was a battlefield making up the vast majority of the room, and the boundaries were carved into the rock. At the opposite end, standing next to what appeared to be a healing machine built into a boulder, was a teenage girl with fiery orange hair, clad in a bright yellow tank top and blazing red shorts. She didn't look much older than Violet.

"Whoa," Orange said suddenly, blinking to try and adjust his eyes to the dim light. "Cousin Maggie?! Is that you?!"

"Hey- that voice!" exclaimed the person on the other end of the Gym. "Cousin Orange! I haven't seen you in years! You still living in Miliovern?"

"Nah, we moved to Talpel Town," replied Orange. "Electra's still the Miliovern Gym Leader, though. Red, Vi, this is my cousin Maggie McPixel."

As Orange and Maggie caught up, Red and Violet exchanged highly surprised looks.

"He has _another_ cousin who's a Gym Leader?" Red whispered.

"I know!" Violet whispered back. "Didn't see that coming. At least she seems a bit nicer than Electra."

Red nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, sure, I'll be happy to battle you and your friends," grinned Maggie. "How about you first, Orange? I wanna see just what kind of trainer you turned out to be. Three Pokémon each."

"Works for me," Orange grinned back as he stepped into the challenger's box.

Maggie produced a Poké Ball and threw it. "I choose you! Ninetales!" she called out.

In a flash of light, a large yet graceful creature emerged from the ball. Its luxurious fur was a lovely cream color, and nine long tails flowed from its backside. "Niiiine," it said. Orange responded by taking out his Pokédex and pointing it at the Fire-type.

"Ninetales, the Fox Pokémon, and the evolved form of Vulpix," droned the device. "Extremely smart and vindictive. Pulling one of its tails will result in a 1,000-year curse."

"OK, let's do this!" Orange exclaimed as he threw a Poké Ball. ".4, go!"

The ball burst open, and Orange's .4 materialized, already zipping around in circles with great rapidity, gibbering excitedly. "Cool .4," nodded Maggie. "But let's get started! Ninetales! Fire Spin!"

"Niiiine!" howled Ninetales as it unleashed a swirling cyclone of flames from its mouth.

".4, use TM05!" Orange shouted.

Gibbering rapidly, .4 flew right at the fiery funnel before suddenly veering off to the right and going invisible. Ninetales ceased its attack and started to look around, somewhat confused.

"TM28 now!" commanded Orange.

"Eeeee hee hee hee hee!" whooped .4 as the air around Ninetales exploded three times in rapid succession, knocking the Fire-type to the ground as .4 reappeared behind it.

"Ninetales, it's behind you!" exclaimed Maggie. "Use Body Slam!"

".4, go for a Wing Attack!" yelled Orange.

As Ninetales sprang into the air, .4 sprouted a pair of purple, blocky wings and zipped up to meet its adversary. Easily avoiding Ninetales's attack, .4 rammed Ninetales with its wings. Once it finished the attack, it withdrew the wings back into its body.

"Let's wrap this up!" Orange grinned. "Use Dragon Rage!"

"Ninetales!" exclaimed Maggie, but too late- the brilliant blue flames .4 had produced struck the Fire-type. The Dragon move did the trick- Ninetales fainted. "Return, Ninetales!" Maggie said as she held out the Poké Ball. Once Ninetales had been withdrawn, Maggie threw a second Poké Ball. "Let's go, Rapidash!"

In a flash of light, what could only be described as a horse on fire materialized. Its mane was composed entirely of flames. It neighed loudly as it stomped the battlefield. Red held out his Pokédex.

"Rapidash, the Fire Horse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ponyta," droned the Pokédex. "Highly competitive. If Rapidash sees something moving faster than it, it will give chase in the hopes of racing it."

"We can take it!" Orange grinned. ".4, Agility!"

"Rapidash, you use Agility, too!" commanded Maggie.

.4 zipped around the battlefield, getting progressively faster as Rapidash galloped all around, also getting faster.

"Now use Dragon Rage!" called Orange.

"Rapidash, Fire Blast!" ordered Maggie.

As .4 unleashed a stream of blue flames, Rapidash launched from its mouth a large, star-shaped blast of fire. The two attacks connected, resulting in a violent explosion. Though Rapidash had managed to avoid most of the blast, .4 had been right in the middle of it.

".4!" Orange called out in concern. However, as the dust settled, it became clear that .4 had fainted.

"You trained that .4 really well," grinned Maggie as Orange withdrew the Caffeine Pokémon.

"First Pokémon I ever caught," Orange grinned back as he threw another Poké Ball. "Go, Nidoking!" he shouted as the large, purple Drill Pokémon materialized, roaring loudly.

"Let's do this," exclaimed Maggie. "Take Down, Rapidash!"

"Nidoking, Rolling Kick!" Orange ordered.

Rapidash charged right at Nidoking, whose immediate reaction was to execute a perfect roundhouse kick. It struck Rapidash in the side, and sent it tumbling down to the ground, where it lay groaning as it struggled to climb back to its feet.

"Come on, Rapidash!" exclaimed Maggie.

"Finish it, Nidoking!" said Orange. "Water Gun!"

Nidoking roared loudly as it unleashed a forceful stream of water from its mouth. Rapidash neighed loudly in protest, but quickly collapsed to the ground.

"Two down, one to go!" Orange exclaimed as Maggie withdrew Rapidash.

"Hah, yeah," grinned Maggie. "But this last one's my pride and joy!" she added as she produced a third Poké Ball and threw it. "Go, u!"

In a flash of light, a large, mainly rectangular creature materialized. It was a vertically-facing rectangle, not unlike a pPkMnp or an 'M. On the top left side of it, there was a smaller rectangle protruding. Its entire body was white, though with abundant orange markings and sparse black markings. It gave off an ominous, rumbling roar as it floated motionlessly in midair. At the sight of this thing, Orange took out his Pokédex and held it up.

"u, the Fiery Pokémon," droned the device. "Immensely proud of its power. If a u turns down a battle challenge, it is a sure sign of illness."

"Nidoking, Aurora Beam!" ordered Orange.

"u, Water Gun!" commanded Maggie.

As Nidoking unleashed a multicolored ray of light from its horn, a small mouth opened up on u's body, and a forceful jet of water was issued from within. Nidoking groaned as the attack connected. Its focus broken, the Aurora Beam fizzled out before u had taken much in the way of damage.

"u, now use your Ember attack!" called Maggie.

"Nidoking, Water Gun!" shouted Orange.

This time, it was Nidoking's attack that broke through, and u's attack that fizzled out- the embers that flew off of u's body were doused by the jet of water Nidoking fired off. u roared unpleasantly as the Water Gun hit.

"Horn Attack now!" yelled Maggie and Orange simultaneously.

Nidoking charged forward, head lowered, horn sticking straight out; u flew forward, a deadly-looking spike protruding from the front of its body. The two Pokémon collided in the middle of the battlefield, and they simultaneously collapsed to the ground as a result of the impact. Neither one moved.

"A draw?" Maggie said disbelievingly. "Oh- wait- Orange, you still have one more, don't you? Yeah, so you win!"

"All right!" Orange exclaimed as he and Maggie withdrew Nidoking and u, respectively.

"Yeah, you really turned out to be a great trainer, Orange," grinned Maggie as she walked across the battlefield and handed Orange a badge which appeared to look like fire. "So, here's your Inferno Badge, and your TM38- that teaches Fire Blast! Oh, where are my manners, Orange, who are your friends?" she added, turning to look at Red and Violet.

"Maggie, this is Violet Scramble, my girlfriend, and this is my good friend Red Vershunn," replied Orange, introducing Violet and Red respectively.

"Ooh," grinned Maggie. "Girlfriend, huh? Way to go, Orange. And your other friend's cute, too," she added quietly. Red blushed slightly as he heard this. "So, which one of you's next?" she asked.

"I'll go next," Violet volunteered before Red could even open his mouth.

"All right, just let me heal up my Pokémon first," replied Maggie as she walked back across the battlefield.

"I gotta say, I like her," Violet remarked.

"Yeah, me- me too," Red added. At this, Violet and Orange turned to face Red, whose face was starting to match his name.

"Ooh, Red," grinned Violet. "Yeah, you like her, all right." Orange couldn't help but grin at this.

"Well... I... uh..." Red stammered.

"Red, relax," grinned Orange. "You know how sometimes someone will get mad at their best friend because their best friend falls for their sister or cousin? This is not one of those times. You're my friend, I'd trust you with her."

"Th-thanks, Orange," Red replied, grinning weakly. With that, Violet took her place in the challenger's box, as Maggie had already sent out her Ninetales.

"Go, Skelefly!" called Violet as she threw a Poké Ball, unleashing her Aerodactyl Skeleton Missingno. into the cavernous room. Skelefly flapped its wings, staying airborne as it seemed to glare down at Ninetales (it would be easier to tell whether it was glaring if it had more than just empty eye sockets).

"Oh, cool, you nickname your Pokémon," grinned Maggie. "Let's go, Ninetales! Fire Spin now!"

"Skelefly, Waterfall attack!" ordered Violet.

Skelefly screeched as its entire skeletal body became cloaked in water. It then dove down at Ninetales, its water-covered body cutting right through the swirling flames like extremely fiery butter before slamming into Ninetales. The Fox Pokémon was sent tumbling backwards, but it got back to its feet quickly enough.

"Quick Attack!" called Maggie.

"Use Bone Club!" commanded Violet.

Ninetales charged, running straight at Skelefly. As it jumped up, however, Skelefly clubbed it in the head with one of its skeletal wings, sending Ninetales crashing down to the ground.

"Finish it!" called Violet. "Egg Bomb!"

Skelefly screeched as it faced down and allowed three large eggs to tumble out of its mouth. Each egg exploded upon contact with Ninetales, and once the move had stopped, Ninetales made no effort to get up.

"Get back!" exclaimed Maggie as she held out Ninetales's Poké Ball. Once Ninetales was sucked back into the sphere, Maggie threw another ball. "Go! Rapidash!"

Maggie's Rapidash materialized in a flash of light, neighing loudly as it glared across the battlefield at Skelefly. It stomped at the ground and snorted at the Data Pokémon.

"Let's keep it going, Skelefly!" exclaimed Violet. "Waterfall attack!"

"Rapidash, Take Down!" called Maggie.

Skelefly and Rapidash charged at each other, the former cloaked in swirling water. They collided in the center of the battlefield, where each struggled against the other's attack. Finally, Skelefly's Waterfall won over, and Rapidash was thrust backwards. Skelefly screeched and flew a celebratory loop-de-loop as Rapidash got back to its feet.

"Fire Blast!" ordered Maggie.

"Skelefly, SmokeScreen!" Violet ordered.

But before Skelefly could get much of any smoke out of its mouth, the five-point plume of fire which had erupted from Rapidash's mouth already engulfed the Aerodactyl Skeleton Missingno. Skelefly screeched in discomfort and pain as it collapsed to the ground. In a manner of seconds, Skelefly had ceased all noise, and all movement, for that matter.

"Phew," sighed Maggie as Violet recalled Skelefly. "I don't mind telling ya, I was a little worried there! Your Missingno. is powerful!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks," smiled Violet. "I can't take all the credit, of course, Skelefly was pretty strong already when I caught it. OK, Skulls, you're up!" she added as she threw another Poké Ball.

In a flash of light, the two-headed, floating form of Skulls materialized. "Weezing," it groaned.

"Rapidash! Fire Blast!" called Maggie.

"Skulls, use Smog!" ordered Violet.

"Weeeeeez," groaned Skulls as it unleashed thick clouds of poisonous fog from both mouths. At the same time, Rapidash let fly another Fire Blast, but this one reacted with the toxic gases Weezing was currently expelling, causing an explosion in Rapidash's direction, flooring the Fire Horse Pokémon once again. Though it was still conscious, now it struggled to get to its feet.

"Wrap it up with Sludge!" commanded Violet. Immediately, the Weezing blasted Rapidash with twin streams of sludge, expelled from their mouths. Rapidash neighed feebly in protest for only a moment before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"Rapidash, return! u, go!" called Maggie as she held out Rapidash's Poké Ball in one hand while throwing another ball with her other hand.

As Rapidash was sucked back into its ball, u reappeared in a flash of light, roaring loudly.

"Skulls, Thunderbolt!" ordered Violet.

"u, Thunder!" shouted Maggie.

Simultaneously, both Pokémon lit up with voltage as they fired off large, powerful bolts of lightning. The attacks connected in the center of the battlefield, promptly resulting in a massive explosion, which blew both combatants back.

"Come on, Skulls!" Violet encouraged her Weezing.

"u, use your Horn Drill!" Maggie exclaimed.

"Ooh, this could get nasty," Orange whispered to Red. "Horn Drill is a one-hit KO move. If it hits, Skulls is down!"

"Skulls, Sludge!" ordered Violet.

As the dust cleared, u could be seen flying menacingly towards Skulls, a long and deadly sharp spike protruding from its body- except this one was spinning. Fast. Skulls unleashed a stream of sludge from its larger head's mouth, but the spinning horn easily dispersed the sludge, cutting through it with ease. Before Violet could say anything, the attack made contact. Skulls dropped to the floor as the horn retracted back into u's body.

"Skulls!" Violet exclaimed in horror, but to no avail; the Weezing was making no attempt to move.

Maggie giggled as Violet withdrew Skulls. "See, Horn Drill's one of those moves where if it hits, the target's knocked out instantly," she explained. "For what it's worth, though, that's a pretty good Weezing."

"Well, if you thought Skulls was good," replied Violet, "then you're gonna just love… Migraine!" she shouted as the ball opened up, unleashing her Golduck.

"Aha, a Water-type. Now it gets interesting," Maggie remarked. "u, use Thunder now!"

"Migraine, dodge it!" Violet called.

"Duck! Golduck!" exclaimed Migraine as it did a sudden backflip, just barely evading the launched lightning bolt.

"Now use Water Gun!" ordered Violet.

"We'll use Water Gun, too!" responded Maggie.

Both combatants simultaneously let fly identical jets of water at each other. The attacks collided in the center of the battlefield, but Migraine's Water Gun slowly started to push u's back.

"Ha haa!" Violet laughed triumphantly. "We'd be evenly matched, except Migraine here is a Water-type. Attacks are always more powerful if the Pokémon using them is the same type as the attack, you know. Now, Migraine, Surf!"  
"Duck! Gol!" grunted Golduck as it stopped its Water Gun, its eyes glowing blue. Then, a tidal wave seemed to rise up out of the rock, and crashed down over u, sending it tumbling to the ground. The Fire/Flying-type roared and shrieked its displeasure, and rose back into the air, albeit very unsteadily.

"We got it now!" Violet called encouragingly. "Confusion attack!"

"Come on, u, Thunder!" pleaded Maggie. However, her order was in vain; the blast of blue psychic energy Migraine had fired from the ruby in its forehead struck u, and the Fiery Pokémon collapsed to the ground. It made no effort to move.

"Victory!" exclaimed Violet as Migraine ran up and hugged its trainer. Though Maggie didn't look too pleased at losing, she still smiled as she walked across the battlefield, withdrawing u as she went.

"A well-fought battle," Maggie said to Violet as the latter was presented with an Inferno Badge and a TM38. "You've earned these. Hey, Red, it's your turn now," she added to Red, smiling at him briefly before she walked back across the battlefield. Red blushed in response to this (which in turn caused Orange and Violet to exchange smirks), but took his position in the challenger's box all the same. Finally, once Maggie had healed up her Pokémon, she wasted no time in throwing Ninetales's Poké Ball, releasing the nine-tailed fox onto the battlefield.

Red threw a Poké Ball. "Raticate!" he exclaimed. "Go!"

In a flash of light, Red's Raticate materialized. It bared its prominent fangs at Ninetales and hissed, "Rrrrrraticate!"

"Okay, Ninetales, let's go!" exclaimed Maggie. "Quick Attack!"

"Use your own Quick Attack, Raticate!" ordered Red.

Ninetales and Raticate darted forward, and collided with each other in the center of the battlefield. Each bounced off the other with relatively little damage.

"OK, now use Water Gun!" Red commanded.

"Fire Spin!" was Maggie's reply.

Raticate unleashed a stream of water from its mouth, but Ninetales was quicker- the swirling flames emitting from its mouth wasted no time in forming a great, fiery tornado which surrounded Raticate from every side.

"Not good," Orange remarked. "Raticate won't be able to do much of anything within the Fire Spin, it's like being caught in Wrap!"

"Raticate, come on! Do something!" Red pleaded, but all he could hear in response were Raticate's pained screams. Finally, once the flames subsided, Raticate could be seen again. Its fur was charred in several places, and it looked significantly worn out.

"Raticate, Hyper Fang now!" Red ordered.

"Use Fire Blast!" called Maggie.

Raticate lunged forward, teeth at the ready, but was met with a five-point plume of flames, fired from Ninetales's mouth. This second incendiary onslaught proved to be too much for the Rat Pokémon, who collapsed then and there.

Sighing, Red withdrew Raticate as Maggie squealed loudly, congratulating Ninetales on its victory.

"Hm," Violet remarked. "Bit of a bumpy start for Red, isn't it?"

"Oh, he can turn this around," Orange replied. "He's only down one Pokémon."

"OK, Charizard, you're up!" Red called as he threw the ball, unleashing the Fire/Flying Flame Pokémon. Charizard gave a triumphant roar as it landed on the ground, its wings spread wide.

"Ninetales, Quick Attack!" ordered Maggie.

"Charizard, Mega Punch!" commanded Red.

With a flap of its wings, Charizard took to the air. It flew low, zooming towards the rapidly oncoming Ninetales, fist at the ready. However, before it could execute the punching move, Ninetales accelerated unexpectedly and smashed into Charizard, causing it to crash to the ground. To Red's relief, however, Charizard got back up without any problems whatsoever.

"Let's go with a Flamethrower!" called Red.

"Ninetales, Confuse Ray!" said Maggie.

All nine of Ninetales's tails stuck straight out as its eyes flashed with red light. As Charizard prepared to fire off a Flamethrower, it suddenly gained a similar red glow in its eyes, and began to wobble around erratically.

"Oh, come on!" Red exclaimed. "Charizard! Use Flamethrower!"

Charizard shook its head as though to clear it… took a deep breath…

…and punched itself in the face. Red facepalmed as Charizard hurt itself in its confusion.

"Okay, Ninetales! Hyper Beam!" ordered Maggie.

"Oh, crap," muttered Red. "Charizard! _Charizard!_"

But it was no use. For all of Red's shouting, Charizard could not snap out of the confusion. Indeed, even if it did, it had only time to barely register the yellow blast of destructive energy headed right for its face before the Hyper Beam made contact. There was a tremendous explosion, dust flying in every direction. When the dust settled, to Red's relief, Charizard was still conscious, albeit stumbling around. Ninetales was laying on the ground, conscious, but breathing heavily.

"Charizard's lucky to still be standing," stated Violet. "Hyper Beam is the most powerful move a Pokémon can pull off without making itself faint in the process. Looks like Ninetales needs to recharge, though.

"Come on, Charizard!" pleaded Red. "Snap out of it! Quickly!"

But it was no use. Charizard stumbled around, still confused… and tripped over Ninetales, toppling over on top of the Fox Pokémon. Neither Pokémon made any attempt to move.

"Looks like a draw," said Maggie as she and Red both withdrew their unconscious Fire-types. "But I got two left, and you're down to one. You sure you can pull this off?"

Red did not answer right away. He was thinking about what to use. Parasect, obviously, was out of the question… Dodrio or Snorlax might work, the latter especially due to its Surf… Then, Red remembered his newest Pokémon. He recalled how the Pokédex praised its "sheer attack power"… Yeah, he'd be relying heavily on beginner's luck, but it already liked him. He took the appropriate Poké Ball off his belt and looked at it for a moment as Maggie sent out her Rapidash. "It's a bit of a long shot," Red said at last. "But I gotta try it."

"Oh, Mew, don't tell me he's gonna use Parasect," muttered Orange. "'Long shot' is an understatement…"

"Missingno., I choose you!" Red called as he heaved the ball, unleashing the 10-foot tall Bird/Normal-type into the air.

"Miiiiiising Missingno.!" Missingno. cried out happily as it spun around once before stopping to face Rapidash.

"Okay, let's get this going," grinned Maggie. "Rapidash, Take Down!"

Hastily, Red flipped open his Pokédex and pulled up a list of Missingno.'s attacks. "Missingno.! Water Gun!" he ordered.

"MissingNOOOOOO.!" screeched Missingno. as it opened its mouth, unleashing a torrent of water from within. Rapidash galloped right through the water, but slowed down all the same, neighing in protest before stumbling out of the attack's path.

"All right!" grinned Red, his misgivings about Missingno. starting to fade away. "Now use your Earthquake attack, Missingno.!"

"Missingno., missing!" replied Missingno. as it slammed its body down on the stone floor. Hard. The impact shook the entire Gym, and Rapidash couldn't keep its balance.

"Whoa!" Orange exclaimed as the Earthquake subsided, observing that Rapidash was not trying to get up. "Floored in one hit! The Pokédex wasn't lying, was it?"

"Impressive," smiled Maggie as she withdrew Rapidash. "But does it have what it takes to handle… u!" she yelled, a third Poké Ball already flying from her hand. The ball split open, and u materialized once more, roaring loudly.

"This is gonna be good," Orange remarked.

"Missingno.! Water Gun!" ordered Red.

"Use your own Water Gun, u!" commanded Maggie.

Both Missingno. and u blasted forceful streams of water from their mouths at the same time. The streams met in midair, each cancelling the other one out. This went on for several moments, and once it became clear that neither side was giving in, Red called out again.

"Missingno., let's use Sky Attack!" he ordered.

"Missingnooooo.!" trilled Missingno. as it rose up and out of the way of u's Water Gun, a dazzling yellow glow slowly coming over its whole body. Then, it charged.

"u, get out of the way!" shouted Maggie.

u roared as it flew up suddenly to evade Missingno.'s Sky Attack To Red's relief, Missingno. was able to come to a stop before it hit the ground. It then proceeded to rise into the air and give chase to u. On Maggie's order, u let off an Ember, scattering small flames in its wake to harm Missingno. Red, however, ordered Missingno. to use Water Gun, which succeeded in dousing the flames before they could slow Missingno. down any. The aerial chase continued for some time. Violet and Orange found that the battle was getting more and more intense by the minute.

"Now, u! Wing Attack!" shouted Maggie.

"Missingno.! Sky Attack! Now!" ordered Red.

The combatants charged each other, u with a large pair of blocky orange wings protruding from its sides, Missingno. with a brilliant golden glow enveloping its body. As they collided, each one struggled to overpower the other, but neither of them seemed able to get the upper hand.

"Wow. u really has a lot of fighting spirit," remarked Orange. "I mean, look, it's holding its own against a Normal Form Missingno.'s Sky Attack. That's not easy to do."

"Let's end this!" Red called up to Missingno. "Use Seismic Toss!"

A white, black, purple, and orange tentacle-like appendage sprouted from Missingno.'s side and coiled around u, holding it in place. Missingno. then flew into the air, doing repeated loop-de-loops, building up speed and momentum every second.

"u!" shouted Maggie.

"Now!" Red exclaimed.

"Miiiissiiiingnoooooo.!" bellowed Missingno. as it dove down towards the ground at breakneck speeds. Then, at the last minute, it pulled out of the dive, but uncoiled its appendage and withdrew it back into its body at the same time. u, still being propelled by the attack's momentum, was slammed into the ground. This resulted in a lot of dust being kicked up by the impact. As Missingno. slowly descended in front of Red, the dust started to settle…

…and there lay u, not moving at all.

"Yes! We did it, Missingno.!" Red exclaimed. Before he knew what he was doing, he had run over to the Data Pokémon and hugged it. Once he came to the realization, however, he didn't feel particularly inclined to stop. It was the first time he had ever had physical contact with a Tanko-native Pokémon.

"All right, Red!" exclaimed Orange as he and Violet walked over to him. "What a comeback!"

"I'd have to agree with that," smiled Maggie as she approached them, her hand held out to Red- she was holding an Inferno Badge and a TM38, both of which Red gladly accepted. "You and Missingno. make a great team," she said to Red. "And the battle itself was intense. I was pretty sure I was gonna win, but you pulled off a great comeback."

"Heh… thanks," smiled Red, blushing slightly. The sight made Maggie giggle.

"So, where are you guys headed next?" she asked. "The nearest Gym is the one in Ivadirin City, but I hear that's been closed for some time."

"We'll go and check it out anyway, I think," Violet decided. "Might be open by now, for all we know."

"Yeah, but first, we're gonna head on over to Bincanar Labs," Orange added. "We're probably just gonna hang around the island until they're open tomorrow."

"Bincanar Labs?" repeated Maggie, a look of curiosity on her face. "What are you guys heading there for?"

The trio exchanged looks- they never actually told anyone the truth about Red before, other than Professor Redwood, of course.

"I got an idea," Orange stated. "Why don't we all go to the Pokémon Center for lunch and we'll tell you the story there?"

"Works for me," smiled Maggie. "Three battles in a row works up an appetite, wouldn't you say?"

"Whoa," Maggie said, mouth agape, all thought of the fried nine speared on the end of her fork long forgotten. "So let me get this straight- the Kanto region exists, Red's from there, and you guys are trying to help him find out how he managed to get here in the first place?"

"That pretty much covers it, yeah," nodded Orange.

"Wow," Maggie murmured as she looked at Red, who was looking down at his own plate of fried nines. "Wow, that's… that's actually pretty cool."

"Really?" said Red as he picked his head up.

"Yep!" smiled Maggie. "I mean, think about it- you've come this far in a region you've never even heard of before. When you got here, all you had was a Charmander, and now you got seven of Tanko's Gym badges and six powerful Pokémon. I don't think a lot of people could take that kind of drastic change as well as you had."

"Yeah, well," Red murmured modestly, "I mean, it's not like I got through it on my own. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't been traveling with Orange and Violet."

"And believe me, Red, we got a lot to thank you for, too," Violet stated. "You're the reason me and Orange were traveling together in the first place, and if that hadn't happened, we might never have started going out."

"We owe you big time for that," agreed Orange. "Not to mention it's always been nice just having you around. You're a good friend."

"Thanks, guys," smiled Red.  
After this, the trio plus Maggie continued to eat, until Maggie broke the silence with a question. "So, what are you guys gonna do for the rest of the day?"

"I dunno," shrugged Orange. "But I think Red has an idea of what he'd like to do," he added with a sly grin, prompting Red to blush again.

Red tried to act as though he hadn't heard, but now that Maggie's curious gaze was fixed on his face, he decided that that idea wasn't gonna fly. "Well," he said quietly, "Maggie, I was… I was kinda wondering if maybe you'd like to… y'know… catch a movie with me or something today?"

The two seconds that went by before Maggie answered were the longest hours of Red's life. At last, she smiled and replied, "Sure, that sounds great!" Red's nervous look turned to a relieved, happy expression in response to this, while Orange and Violet exchanged grins. The two of them watched as Red and Maggie proceeded to talk to each other, telling each other more about themselves, occasionally munching on a fried nine in the process.


	35. There's No Place Like Home

The rest of the day went by quickly. Orange and Violet accompanied Red and Maggie to the movie theater to make it a double date, where they all had a good laugh at the stupidly bad special effects of _Nidoking Kong_ They went back to the Pokémon Center afterwards for dinner, as the movie theater poptwos didn't exactly constitute a filling meal. Afterwards, Red walked Maggie back to the Gym, where they bid each other good-bye. Red promised to see her again, which made Maggie smile.

The next morning, Red was in an extraordinarily good mood. "Wow, Red," remarked Orange as they met in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria for breakfast. "You're in a good mood today."

"And why shouldn't I be?" grinned Red. "I only had myself the time of my life yesterday, and today I just might learn how I got to Tanko in the first place!"

"Alright, then," Violet stated as a Chansey arrived to bring them their meals (they had all ordered whole wheat zero toast with six jelly, and Red and Orange were splitting a side order of fried nines). "After breakfast, we'll head on over to the lab."

"As I'm sure you both can guess, I have no objections," Red stated.

"Then we're all in agreement," nodded Orange as he dug in and started on his half of the fried nines.

Bincanar Labs looked more like a normal building than most other structures in Tanko that Red knew of. The outside walls looked to be made mostly of steel, though the windows appeared to be rows of empty test tubes stuck to each other. The doors, however, were a pair of jumbo-sized Game Boy Pockets. Brimming with anticipation, Red pushed the double doors open, and strolled inside.

The lobby was fairly small, with black and white floor tiles creating a checkered pattern. With Orange and Violet following, Red strolled over to a wooden desk at which was seated a young receptionist.

"Welcome to Bincanar Labs," she greeted the trio. "What is your business here?"

"My name is Red Vershunn," Red replied. "And I am from the Kanto region."

A stunned silence followed this statement as the receptionist blinked in surprise. "You're serious?" she asked, though her voice lacked any semblance of skepticism- it sounded more hopeful than anything, and she smiled as Red nodded. "Well, in that case, Red, you'll want to head on down to Room 3," she said, pointing down a hallway to Red's right. "Last door on the left. The scientists in there will want to speak with you."

Red nodded, thanked the receptionist, and led the way. The hallway really was quite short, and there were only three doors. Not even Orange could have gotten lost trying to find Room 3 in this place. As they approached the door labeled "Room 3", Red gently pushed it open.

Inside the room, there stood a pair of men in lab coats, reading over papers which were spread out all over a metal table. As Red, Orange, and Violet entered, they both looked up.

"Ah, and who might you be?" asked one of the scientists.

"I'm Orange McPixel," replied Orange. "This is my girlfriend, Violet Scramble, and this here is Red Vershunn. From Pallet Town. In Kanto."

At these last two sentences, the scientists gasped and exchanged excited glances. "Kanto?!" they exclaimed simultaneously. "Come in, come in!" said one of the scientists, ushering the three trainers inside.

"You see, myself and my colleague here, we have been hard at work, very hard at work, to forge a link between Tanko and Kanto," explained the other scientist as he hurried over to a machine. "And I am thinking now that we may have just what we need- the DNA of a Kanto native!"

"Wait, what?" Red asked nervously.

"Oh, no, no, no, it is not something with which you should be concerned," the first scientist reassured him. "All we will be needing is something minor. A strand of hair would be sufficient."

"But first," the other scientist put in, "would you mind terribly if you were to relate to us the story of how you came to be in Tanko in the first place? What you remember of what happened, I mean?"

At this, Red launched into the story- how Professor Oak had taken him and Blue to the Safari Zone, how Red had been put to sleep by a Venonat's Sleep Powder, how he suddenly heard voices in his head when he was trying to find Professor Oak and Blue, and how he had passed out from the relentless noise and woke up in Talpel Town. The scientists were very quiet following Red's story. "…You guys believe me, right?" asked Red.

They nodded simultaneously. "Not only do we believe you, Red," said one of the scientists, "but your story in fact fits in with our theory, based on an old, nearly forgotten legend."

"Legend?" repeated Red, Orange, and Violet simultaneously.

The other scientist nodded again. "See, it is said that long, long ago, travel between the Tanko and Kanto regions was very much possible. There were designated portals scattered throughout the two regions. You walk through one, you end up in the other region. But the people of Kanto, they were scared of the Pokémon native to Tanko. They feared them, simply due to their differences. So the people of Kanto tried to stage an attack on Tanko, to destroy what they saw as abominations. This incurred the wrath of the slumbering legendary Pokémon, p T." At this, Red took out his Pokédex. On the screen appeared a pale white cube-shaped creature with three large vertical black bars going down its front. Sparse black markings could be seen between the bars.

"p T, the Behemoth Pokémon," droned the device. "Its immense power is spoken of in legend. Said to slumber deep underground, where its occasional tossing and turning causes earthquakes."

"That's the one," the first scientist nodded. "According to the legend, p T was able to drive off the attackers, drive them back to Kanto. Then, p T destroyed all traces of the portals in Kanto, though left the Tanko portals intact, as they had been constructed with greater care, and could not be destroyed. Now it is said that if anybody steps into one of these inactive portals, they are merely stopped where they stand."

"Freeze arches!" exclaimed Red, Orange, and Violet simultaneously.

"We think so, very much, yes," the other scientist replied. "But it is also said that p T forgot to sever one link between Tanko and Kanto. There were these open fields, one in Tanko, one in Kanto. If you went to sleep in one, you would wake up in the other. Unfortunately, our research has never once turned up any sort of indicator as to where these fields would be in modern times. But now, based on what we know of Kanto, plus Tankoan geography, this narrows things down considerably- now we have reason to believe that the field which would enable access to Kanto is the Fight Zone in Chufisa City!"

Red, Orange, and Violet exchanged glances. "It's closed at night, so I guess nobody would really have been in a position to find out for themselves," Orange stated.

"This is very good for our research!" the first scientist exclaimed excitedly. "Professor Redwood was right, the Red lad was very helpful indeed-"

"Wait a minute, what?" said Violet suddenly. "Professor Redwood said what?"

"Oh, yes," nodded a scientist, who was currently dialing a number on a nearby videophone. "Not very much long ago, he got into contact with us- he helps us with research whenever he can, you see- and informed us that a young boy from the Kanto region was headed for Bincanar Island, and that he would be of help in our research. Now, would you say you have adjusted well to Tankoan everyday life?"

"I'd have to say that," nodded Red. "I love it here, to be honest. I was weirded out at first by the way everything looked, and by some of the Pokémon, but I gotta say, I've enjoyed myself immensely."

At that moment, a voice could be heard from the videophone- it was Professor Redwood. Red, Orange, and Violet walked over until they were right behind the scientist conversing with him.

"Ah, Red! Violet! Orange!" exclaimed Professor Redwood, just as pudgy and balding as Red remembered him. "I see you've all made it to Bincanar Island. Now, first off, I owe you an apology, Red."

"What for?" asked Red.

"Truth is, I could've arranged for transport for you to Bincanar Island, no problem," admitted the professor. "This could all have been taken care of last week. But I wanted you to explore the region, instead. See, these fellas here, part of their research involves finding out whether it's possible for a Kanto native to adjust to life in the Tanko region. I would've told you, only they claim it would've interfered with their research if you knew."

"Professor," grinned Red, "you got nothing to apologize for. I've had the time of my life here! I have a team of amazing Pokémon, I made two very good friends, and I'm going out with Orange's cousin Maggie. I- OW!" he exclaimed suddenly as a scientist plucked a strand of hair from his head.

"Sorry," the scientist nodded as he opened up a panel on the side of the machine he was working with earlier, which resembled another videophone. "Just give me few minutes here," he added as he leaned over and began tinkering with the machine's innards, along with the hair he had taken from Red. "Aha," he said suddenly. "I think we have something!" Excitedly, the scientist punched in a phone number, and Red's jaw dropped as he saw who picked up on the other end- a somewhat elderly man with grey hair. He wore a lab coat like Professor Redwood's, but was much thinner than he was.

"Hello?" Professor Oak said as he saw the jubilant scientist on the other end. "Who is this- Red?!" he exclaimed as he suddenly noticed the trainer in the background.

"Professor!" grinned Red as he ran over to the machine. "How've you been?"

"Never mind me, boy, what about you?" asked Professor Oak. "Nobody's seen you in over a week!"

"It's a long story, Professor," Red stated. "But I'm perfectly fine."

"But where are you?" asked Oak.

"Excuse me," called the voice of Professor Redwood. Taking the cue, the scientists turned the two videophones to face each other. "Professor Oak, I presume? Allow me to introduce myself- Professor Omar Redwood. I'll be happy to shed some light on the situation. Now, from one professor to another, do you believe in the notion of parallel universes?"

As Professors Redwood and Oak talked to each other, Violet and Orange turned to Red. "Wow, so Red, if these guys got things right, then you could return to Kanto just by going into the Fight Zone and taking a nap!" exclaimed Orange.

"Yeah," sighed Red. "It's pretty cool to know there's almost definitely a way back if I want there to be. "Still… I like it here," he smiled. "I can't see myself going back to Kanto for a while."

Before long, the scientists put Red back on with Professor Oak, who seemed reassured that Red was safe. He still didn't fully understand about the Tanko region, but was fascinated enough by the idea that he requested that the scientists stay in touch with him. Once the call was terminated, Red found that he was hungry. At Violet's suggestion, the trio made their way back to the Pokémon Center for some lunch.

"Well, how do you feel, Red?" asked Violet as they enjoyed their even number salads. "You got the answers you were looking for. Probably feels pretty good, right?"

"It does, yeah," nodded Red. "I wasn't banking on it involving some old legend, but it's still nice to finally have some answers. So, where to now?"

"Maggie said the nearest Gym is the one in Ivadirin City," replied Violet. "We should go and see if it's opened back up yet. If not, we'll ask around, see if there's another Gym we missed somehow, We need eight badges to get into the Pokémon League, after all."

"How will we get there?" asked Red.

"We could fly there," suggested Orange. "Fearow and Dodrio know Fly, and I'm sure Skelefly can learn the move too." Violet shuddered at this suggestion.

"Orange…" she murmured.

"It'll be fine," he reassured her. "You trust Skelefly, don't you?"

"Yeah," murmured Violet.

"Yeah, so Skelefly's not about to drop you," stated Orange. "Besides, even if there was anything to worry about, Red and I would be right there with you to help.

Violet gave a great sigh, and remembered that things worked out when she had to ride Fearow with Orange back in Fansfor City. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she was thinking it'd be. "Very well," she stated. "I'll give it a shot."

"All right," smiled Orange. "Have I ever steered you wrong before, Vi?"

Violet opened her mouth, but closed it after a second. "Too easy," she chuckled.

After lunch, the trio headed off. First, Red insisted on going back to Bincanar Gym to say good-bye to Maggie. Again, he reiterated the promise that he would see her again. Maggie replied, stating that she would be attending this year's Pokémon League competition, and that she was hoping to see him there.

After that, they went down to the beach. Red sent out Dodrio, Orange sent out Fearow, and Violet sent out Skelefly. Violet then dug out her HM02, and once Skelefly had learned Fly, all three trainers climbed on their respective Pokémon's backs.

"Fly!" they all called out simultaneously. Instantly, Fearow and Skelefly flapped their wings, and two of Dodrio's heads faced down, their beaks expelling rocket exhaust. All three avian Pokémon rose into the air, carrying their trainers on their backs, and on Violet's command, headed north.

Flying was much faster than Surfing, Red quickly realized. It didn't take them much more than ten minutes to cross the vast stretch of sea between Bincanar Island and Talpel Town. They passed over Route -1, where Red could see a swarm of .4 zipping around in every direction above the trees. Then, they looked as Ivadirin City came into view- and did a double take.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Orange as the trio of Pokémon started their descent. For scattered all over the city, there were numerous Team Error and Team Debug grunts duking it out with each other in Pokémon battles.

"Yeah, this can't be good," Red frowned as they climbed off their Pokémon. Nearby, there were four very familiar faces engaged in battle.

"Poliwrath, Mega Punch!" exclaimed Will.

"Ninetales, Take Down!" bellowed Lou.

"pPkMnp, Sludge!" commanded Jeff.

"7g, Double-Edge!" ordered Larry.

"Oh, come on!" groaned Orange loudly as the grunts' Pokémon all fought each other. "Why is it you clowns show up wherever we go?!"

"Not that it's any of your business, twerps," growled Jeff, "but Team Error's plans are finally about to come to fruition! Every member of Team Error was summoned here today to witness the unveiling of the boss's grand master plan! Only thing is, these Team Debug goofballs happened to choose here and now to do something similar!"

"Who are you calling goofballs?!" roared Will. "We, Team Debug, were called here to Ivadirin City! _Our_ boss is gonna unveil _our_ master plan today!"

"OK, stop it!" exclaimed Red suddenly. "We're not gonna get anywhere like this! Fighting you goofballs has never done anything to slow you down! We're taking this directly to the top. Where are your bosses?"

"Hah!" snorted Lou. "As if we would tell you that the esteemed boss of Team Debug holds an important job in Ivadirin Gym- OW!" he exclaimed as Will slapped him in the head.

"Idiot!" exclaimed Will. "What are you going and revealing our boss's whereabouts for?!"

"What? I didn't do that- oh, wait, yeah, I kinda did do that, didn't I?" murmured Lou. Will facepalmed. "Well, who says our info's right, anyway?" he added suddenly. "We ain't never even seen the boss, we just get our orders by way of phone calls!"

"Yeah, well, your boss ain't that smart," sneered Larry. "Working in the same place as our boss. And he keeps a low profile, too, so odds are your boss won't recognize him until he strikes! OW!" he exclaimed as Jeff smacked him in the head.

"You're no better than those bumbling goofballs!" Jeff snapped. "Now these twerps know how to get to the boss! Well, we ain't gonna let them get away-"

"Yeah, they're gone already," Larry interrupted. Jeff turned around to notice that Red, Violet, and Orange had all made a run for it, and proceeded to swear loudly.

"Finally, we're gonna make some progress here!" Orange exclaimed triumphantly as they ran past the feuding bad guys, past the Arbok who had a pPkMnp trapped in its coils, past the Pinsir trying to withstand a .4's TM28, past all the pairs of battling Pokémon. "Red, you're right- just battling the grunts isn't doing any good. If we want to make real progress in taking down these slimeballs, we gotta go to the top!"

"I wonder why both of their bosses work for this town's Gym Leader, though," Violet wondered out loud. "Maybe one of them _is_ the Gym Leader."

"That'd be weird," chuckled Red as the Ivadirin Gym came into view. They slowed down to a walk as they approached the mass of roofing tiles which constituted a pair of double doors. Still attached to the doors with duct tape was the note explaining that the Gym Leader was away on business. Ignoring this completely, Orange pushed the doors open with great force, revealing the well-lit interior of the Gym. A simple dirt battlefield made up the vast majority of the floor. And to their astonishment, only one other person was in the room, and that person was standing on the other end of the battlefield, smirking at the trio.

"YOU!" exclaimed Red in shock.


	36. The Stuff Of Legends

It was Terrence.

"Me," Terrence responded calmly, a truly diabolical smirk on his face. "Terrence, leader not only of the Ivadirin City Pokémon Gym, but also Teams Error and Debug."

"Wait, you're the boss of _both_ teams?" Orange said incredulously. "How... Why..."

"I will gladly answer that, you babbling simpleton," Terrence replied smoothly. "Two words- world domination. Taking over Tanko is just the beginning. Once I have command of this region, I can extend my influence to the rest of the world with relative ease."

"I don't know if you noticed," Red said, "but we've kinda been taking out your underlings left and right wherever we cross paths. Between that and the fact that you can't beat me in battle-"

"Ah, now see, that's where you're wrong, Red," interrupted Terrence. "See, it's true that I never used to be able to beat you in battle... but now that I have the might of a formidable legendary Pokémon by my side, I'm unstoppable!"

"Legendary Pokémon?" repeated the group in unison.

"You guys catch on quick," sneered Terrence.

"You didn't finish answering me, though," Orange said suddenly. "Why make two teams that are opposed to one another?"

"Motivation," Terrence replied simply. "It's motivating enough to fill one team's idiot heads with stuff to give them a goal, but even more so to give them someone to work against, and hopefully, in their efforts to thwart the other team, increase the collateral damage on the region as a whole. See, taking over a region is a lot like catching a Pokémon. You throw a Poké Ball before it's weakened enough, odds are, whatever it is is gonna break free. But you weaken it enough, and then you throw the Poké Ball, the Pokémon's as good as caught. See, if I had done this earlier, everyone would have been able to rise up against me, stop my plans before I started. But now that Tanko's been weakened by all the fighting between Error and Debug, nobody's gonna be able to stop me!"

"So basically, you tricked your underlings into turning on each other just to weaken the Tanko region for your takeover?" Red asked. "That's horrible!"

"I do what I have to do to achieve my goals," smirked Terrence. "It's a shame I had to hire some of the most dimwitted morons it has ever been my displeasure to know, but I had to get minions who would actually buy into the crap I was feeding them. So, I'm guessing you fellows are here to try and stop my plans?"

"No, we're just going door to door selling pre-cooked fried nines- of _course_ we're here to stop you!" Orange exclaimed.

"Well, I think I have time for a quick match," stated Terrence as he stood up, taking his position at his end of the battlefield. "Red, come forth. This time, the stakes of our battle will be significantly higher. If you win, not only do you save the Tanko region, but you also earn the coveted Soil Badge. When I win... heh heh... Well, then I win," he smirked. "Four Pokémon each, those are the rules."

"I doubt I'll even need that many," Red stated confidently, taking out a Poké Ball and throwing it. "Snorlax, I choose you!" he yelled as the Sleeping Pokémon materialized- only it wasn't sleeping, but wide awake, standing on its feet and facing forward.  
"Snorlaaaaax," it rumbled.

"Heh," smirked Terrence as he held up a Poké Ball. "Prepare to lose, Red! Sandslash, destroy!" he shouted as he heaved the sphere forward. The ball split open, unleashing the spike-coated form of Sandslash onto the battlefield.

"Come on, Red!" Orange exclaimed.

"You got this!" added Violet.

"No he doesn't," Terrence laughed. "Sandslash! Fury Swipes!"

"Slash!" exclaimed Sandslash as it dashed forward, its claws extended, its arms raised in preparation for the attack. Then, it lunged.

"Snorlax! Harden!" Red commanded.

"Snooooor," grunted Snorlax as its entire body stiffened, suddenly seeming to shine under the lights. Sandslash proceeded to strike with Fury Swipes, but each hit sounded like a metallic clang, and Snorlax didn't seem to be affected very much.

"Now use Body Slam!" Red yelled.

"Sandslash, Slash now!" Terrence ordered. However, before Sandslash could change its tactics, Snorlax fell over onto its stomach, trapping Sandslash between its considerable and formidable bulk and the hard, hard arena floor.

"Good, Snorlax!" Red grinned.

"Sandslash, Dig!" bellowed Terrence.

As Snorlax stood up, it became clear that Sandslash was gone, with a narrow yet deep hole in the ground in place of the Ground-type. As Snorlax looked around nervously, Sandslash erupted out of the ground behind the Normal-type and tackled it hard, causing it to stumble forward a bit.

"Snorlax, its behind you!" Red warned it.

"Finish it! Fissure attack!" Terrence shouted.

"Oh, crap," groaned Orange. "If Fissure hits, Snorlax is finished! Red, do something!"

Red looked as though he was about to panic, and then something occurred to him. "Snorlax, use your Surf attack now!" he exclaimed suddenly.

"Snor! Lax!" Snorlax grunted as its slit-like eyes glowed blue. Then, a towering wave of water seemed to emerge right out of the ground, and struck Sandslash with great force.

"Slaaaaash!" wailed Sandslash as the rushing water swept it away before it could even start to use Fissure. Finally, the Ground-type washed up at its trainer's feet, unconscious as the ground absorbed most of the water.

"Mew damn it," grumbled Terrence as he withdrew Sandslash. Then, he took out another Poké Ball and threw it. "Golem! Destroy!" he shouted as the Megaton Pokémon materialized.

"Golem gol," rumbled the Rock/Ground-type.

"Snorlax, use Surf once more!" Red commanded.

"Golem, Submission now!" ordered Terrence.

As Snorlax's eyes started to glow blue, Golem lunged. Despite Snorlax's considerable weight, the Rock/Ground-type was able to wrestle it to the ground with relative ease.

"Whoa," Orange murmured. "Golem's gotta be pretty strong to bring down a Snorlax like that."

"Well, Golem's one of the heavier Pokémon in the world," replied Violet. "Not that far off from Snorlax, in fact. And yes, it's also pretty strong. Dangerous combination."

"Snorlax, Harden!" Red called.

"No you don't!" Terrence roared. "Golem! Rock Slide!"

"Golem gol," rumbled Golem as its eyes glowed red. Then, it rolled backwards, getting off of Snorlax, leaving behind a number of glowing red circles directly above Snorlax. Before the Normal-type could react, each circle unleashed a number of large rocks, nearly burying Snorlax. Though the Sleeping Pokémon managed to crawl out from beneath the heap of rocks, it promptly passed out.

"Snorlax, return!" Red called as he held out Snorlax's Poké Ball. Once Snorlax had been recalled, he threw another ball. "Go! Raticate!" yelled Red as the Rat Pokémon materialized in a flash of light.

"Golem, hit it with a Fissure attack!" commanded Terrence.

"Raticate, Water Gun!" Red shouted.

"RrratiCAAAAAATE!" screeched Raticate as it unleashed a torrent of water from within its mouth. Golem, who had been about to stomp the ground hard, groaned and shouted in pain as it instead tried to fend off the aquatic assault.

"Oh, come on!" Terrence whined as Raticate continued its attack. Despite Golem's best efforts, the Water Gun did its job. The Megaton Pokémon rolled back, its limbs limp, and made no effort to move on its own volition.

"All right!" Red cheered as a scowling Terrence withdrew Golem. "Way to go, Raticate!" he congratulated the Normal-type.

"Rrrrraticate!" replied Raticate, grinning as best it could considering its perpetually bared teeth.

"Oh, this is far from over!" declared Terrence as he threw another ball. "Nidoqueen!" he shouted as the Drill Pokémon emerged from within. She glared down at Raticate, though this did not deter the Rat Pokémon.

"Hyper Fang!" Red ordered.

"Hyper Beam!" yelled Terrence.

Before Nidoqueen could fire off her Hyper Beam, Raticate lunged forward and sank its fangs into her side. Nidoqueen roared her displeasure at this and started clawing at Raticate, attempting to extricate its fangs from her. At that moment, Raticate stopped its attack and dashed out of Nidoqueen's reach.

"The time for games is over!" growled Terrence. "Fissure attack, Nidoqueen!"

"Oh, come on, does every Pokémon on his team know that move?!" exclaimed Orange.

"Orange?" said Violet.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Quick Attack now!" Red called out to Raticate, who lunged forward and slammed into Nidoqueen. The blow knocked her back, but not off her feet. The Drill Pokémon, undeterred, slammed her foot down hard on the ground, causing it to shake… and to crack. Red looked on in horror as a deep crack started to form in the ground, and was headed right for Raticate. However, the Normal-type was able to sidestep the oncoming Fissure with ease, at which point the ground stopped cracking.

"Of course," sighed Violet in relief. "One-hit KO moves will never work if the target is faster than the user."

"Nidoqueen, Take Down now!" commanded Terrence.

"Raticate, Double-Edge attack!" ordered Red.

The two combatants charged at each other simultaneously, but despite the fact that Take Down was a weaker move than Double-Edge, Nidoqueen's size advantage helped it to overpower Raticate. The Normal-type collapsed to the ground and moved no more.

"Return!" Red called, Raticate's Poké Ball in his hand. Before the red light had even fully re-entered the Poké Ball, already he was throwing another one. "Go! Charizard!" Red shouted, unleashing his faithful starter, who roared loudly as he flew a quick lap around the inside of Ivadirin Gym before landing on the ground, glaring defiantly at Nidoqueen. The two of them had faced off several times before, after all.

"Nidoqueen, Water Gun!" Terrence commanded.

"Charizard, evade it!" Red called out.

With a great flap of its wings, Charizard was in the air, the Water Gun shot off by Nidoqueen sailing harmlessly beneath it. Red saw the chance for gaining the upper hand and seized it immediately.

"Flamethrower now!" Red called.

Charizard roared loudly, a forceful stream of intense flames erupting from its mouth. Nidoqueen cried out in protest, and once the attack had ceased, numerous burns could be seen all over her body.

"Nidoqueen's been burned!" Orange exclaimed.

"Charizard, use your Mega Punch!" Red ordered.

"We'll use Mega Punch as well! Go, Nidoqueen!" snarled Terrence.

Both Pokémon moved swiftly and simultaneously, charging at each other, right hands clenched into fists. They made contact at the same time, Charizard punching Nidoqueen in the face, and Nidoqueen punching Charizard in the face. The attacks sent the combatants tumbling to the ground, but they were back on their feet in seconds, glaring at each other.

"Use Hyper Beam!" ordered Terrence.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" commanded Red.

The Hyper Beam and the Flamethrower were fired off at the same time, at very close range. The resulting explosion was huge, noisy, and immediate, with dust flying in every direction. Nobody could see what was happening, until a sudden wind which seemed to come from inside the dust cloud dispersed the dust. Red could now see that it was Charizard flapping its wings that was clearing out the dust… and it was standing over an unconscious Nidoqueen.

Red waited for the screams, the uncontrolled temper, the enraged outbursts from Terrence, but they never came. On the contrary, he had never looked calmer as he withdrew Nidoqueen. It was almost ominous, in fact, how calmly he was taking this.

"Very good, Red," smirked Terrence. "But see, this time isn't like the previous battles we've had."

"It's shaping up that way so far," Red retorted.

"True enough," conceded Terrence. "But see, now I have something I lacked in those other battles- the might of a legendary Pokémon on my side."

Red said nothing, but he was starting to get nervous. Still, he didn't dare show this. He had to stay confident for the sake of his Pokémon. Plus, there was also the minor detail that the fate of the free world would very well hinge on the outcome of this battle.

Terrence smirked as he reached for his belt, and produced a purple-and-white sphere. It looked like a Poké Ball, only with the red half colored purple. A pair of pink spots could be seen on the purple half, with a white "M" sandwiched between them. Red's eyes widened. "A Master Ball?" he said. "How the-"

"It was my father's," explained Terrence. "He and he alone believed in my potential for world domination. Ever since I was a little kid he would teach me all he knew… all that which he had so dearly wanted to put into practice. And when he got sick, I promised him I would do it. I promised him I would take over the world, just as we had wanted to do as father and son. This Master Ball is all I have left of him now… and so, it is fitting that it contains my means of achieving my dream," he finished as he pressed the button, enlarging the enhanced Poké Ball to its full size.

Orange and Violet exchanged nervous glances. Red gulped, not daring to take his eyes off the Master Ball. Terrence smirked at this, and threw the ball. "Go! p T!" he shouted.

The Master Ball split open in midair, and a large rush of dazzling light flooded out of it, forming on the ground into a huge cube shape, easily fifteen feet in any given direction at the very least. Just as Red had seen on his Pokédex's screen earlier that day, its body was lined with thick vertical white and black stripes, with the white stripes sporting sparse black markings. An unbearably loud, rumbling roar emanated from the legendary Pokémon, a roar so loud the entire Gym shook.

Though Red needed to take a few deep breaths to steady himself, he didn't look ready to back down just yet. "Legendary or not, it's going down. Right, Charizard?" he asked his Fire/Flying-type, who nodded and roared in response.

"Not even in your dreams!" exclaimed Terrence.

"Charizard! Flamethrower!" Red commanded.

"p T! Water Gun!" ordered Terrence.

Charizard unleashed the Fire move at the same time p T launched a forceful, high-pressure stream of water from a spot on the front of its cube-like body. The Water Gun cut through the Flamethrower with absurd ease, and sent Charizard tumbling to the ground, where it struggled to get back up.

"Finish it with Rock Slide!" yelled Terrence.

p T gave another rumbling roar, and a large red circle appeared in the air above Charizard. A single, massive boulder fell through this circle, crushing Charizard into the ground. The boulder then inexplicably vanished into thin air, but there lay Charizard, unconscious.

"Oh, no," whispered Red as he withdrew Charizard. "Oh, no…"

"That's right, Red," cackled Terrence. "Weep! Weep with despair, for the free world as you know it is no more! Shall we end the match now, or will you subject another one of your Pokémon to the inexorable wrath of p T?"

"No… No!" Red exclaimed defiantly. "I won't give up! I've only been here for somewhere close to a week and a half, and already the Tanko region feels like home to me! This world is worth saving, and damn it, I'm gonna save it!" With that, he launched another Poké Ball. "Parasect!" he bellowed. "Spore now!"

In a flash of light, Red's Parasect materialized, and wasted no time in unleashing a cloud of blue dust. p T, however, washed it away with a simple Water Gun, which Parasect only barely avoided.

"Parasect! Bide! Now!" Red commanded.

"Use Sky Attack!" bellowed Terrence.

As Parasect took on a yellow aura, bracing itself, a harsh, golden glow overcame p T's entire body as it slowly rose into the air. Then, with astonishing speed, the Normal/Ground-type slammed into Parasect, shaking the entire building and leaving an enormous crater in the ground. Red looked in, only for his insides to grow cold as he saw the yellow aura fizzle out- Parasect had been one-hit KO'd by the super effective move.

Red withdrew Parasect as Terrence's grin widened. "I knew it," he said. "I knew my travels would not be in vain. Losing to you constantly was disheartening, but also motivating, Red. See, it kept me motivated to strengthen my Pokémon, kept me motivated to seek out the information I was after- the knowledge on how to awaken p T. There is an old legend which claims p T was awakened when Tanko was faced with the threat of a calamitous war. Once I learned of this, I summoned every last one of my minions here to Ivadirin City, which, as I'm sure you've noticed, has resulted in the biggest outbreak of fighting the city's ever seen. Sure enough, this resulted in p T manifesting itself right here in this gym. I told p T of how I plan to cease the fighting-"

"You lied to it?" interrupted Orange.

"Certainly not!" Terrence exclaimed. "I fully intend to cease the fighting out there, once you lot get out of my way.

"Yeah, not happening," Violet said defiantly.

"You're not getting past us," added Orange.

"We're staying right here," stated Red.

"I expected nothing less," nodded Terrence. Then, he addressed p T. "Move them aside with Psychic," he added. Before any of them could react to this, an invisible yet powerful force pushed Red, Violet, and Orange off to the right, where they collapsed in a heap. As they tried to get back to their feet, they heard a large crunching noise- p T was crashing through the front wall of Ivadirin Gym, with Terrence smugly riding atop. Wordlessly, Red, Violet, and Orange exchanged brief, worried looks before they ran out the large hole in the Gym after p T and Terrence.

A collective gasp sounded from Error and Debug grunts alike as p T crashed through the Ivadirin Gym, floating ominously above them all, with Terrence riding atop the legendary Pokémon, laughing maniacally.

"What the?!" exclaimed a Team Error grunt, whose LM4 was shaking in fright.

"Teams Error and Debug!" called Terrence from atop p T. "Hear me now! The time has come to set aside your differences, for you are beholding p T, the behemoth spoken of in legend! If you do not cease your fighting, it will cease it for you!"

As the grunts started murmuring uncertainly, a Nidoking delivered a swift Rolling Kick to p T's side, a Dodrio's three heads rammed its other side with a Skull Bash, and a Butterfree rose above the Normal/Ground-type and blasted it with a Psybeam. Despite the simultaneous attacks, p T barely budged. Terrence, however, wheeled around- there stood the trio, bravely glaring up at him. With them were Orange's Nidoking, Red's Dodrio, and Flutters, Violet's Butterfree.

"I tire of you," sighed Terrence to the trio. He jumped down from his lofty perch, and shook his head at them. "When will you learn to leave well enough alone?"

"When you stop trying to take over the world!" Red replied angrily. "Dodrio, Tri Attack!"

"Flutters, Psybeam!" added Violet.

"Nidoking, Aurora Beam!" commanded Orange.

"p T, Bide!" ordered Terrence.

As the attacks were fired off, p T, now coated in a yellow aura, took them all without so much as wincing. And then, before they could even think of how to order their Pokémon to react, p T unleashed an impossibly huge and wide beam of energy, blowing back all three trainers and their Pokémon. With the trio taken care of for the time being, Terrence and p T continued onward through the freaked out crowd.

"C'mon," said Red as he started to run after p T again. Violet nodded and prepared to follow. Orange, on the other hand, merely hung his head.

"What's the point?" he asked in a defeated tone. "p T's been one-hit KOing everything we've thrown at it, I doubt anything we've done has so much as made a scratch on it.

"Orange, what are you saying?!" exclaimed Red. "We gotta try!"

"But p T's a legendary Pokémon," Orange sighed. "We can't even begin to come close to that kind of power. No matter what we do, we're dead."

Red and Violet were silent for a moment. Then, Violet strode over to Orange, yanked him to his feet, and grabbed his shoulders. "Now you listen to me, Orange McPixel, and listen good," she hissed. "Even if we can't win, the only way there's any sort of possibility of winning is if we try. We don't try, then we're guaranteed to die. And if we die, then that means no more this," she added just as she pulled Orange close to her and kissed him passionately, for a full minute. Once they broke apart, Orange's defeated expression was gone, replaced with one of resolve.

"What are we waiting for?" Orange asked, sounding much more like his old self again. "Let's go take out the legendary p T and save the world!"

"There's the Orange I know!" Red grinned as he and Violet hastened to follow Orange, for he was already running after p T once more.

By now, p T was firing off Hyper Beams at random into the crowd, causing widespread panic. Grunts were fleeing in every direction. Terrence stood beside p T, laughing maniacally, just as the Normal/Ground-type was struck with three Water Gun attacks simultaneously. Both Terrence and p T wheeled around- Violet was standing next to Migraine, Q was floating beside Orange, and Red was riding atop Missingno.

"You three again!" exclaimed Terrence. "What does it take for the soon to be ruler of the world to lose you guys, huh?"

"What are you doing, Terrence?" demanded Red. "Why are you having p T attack these guys when they're not even fighting back?"

"Oh, please," scoffed Terrence. "How else will my subjects be kept in line if they don't know what the consequences for insubordination are? My father taught me all I know about world domination, see. Teams Error and Debug are threatening to ruin the region, but I, I will rise above them, I will conquer, I will unite all of Tanko under my unquestioned leadership! And soon thereafter, the world!"

"You're a lunatic, Terrence!" spat Red. "You're the one who formed Teams Error and Debug in the first place! You took advantage of dozens of people, maybe even hundreds, all for your own, low-down, self-centered personal gain!"

"All right, so I may have the wheels in motion," scoffed Terrence. "Doesn't change the outcome. I still win! You lose! You, and every single one of these insufferable morons who were dimwitted enough to buy into that crap about certain Pokémon being better than others, you all lose! You get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir! I mean, come on- oh, Modern Pokémon are better than Old Pokémon- no, no, Natural Pokémon are the real Pokémon and Glitch Pokémon are the abominations- get real! A Pokémon is a Pokémon, and anyone stupid enough to not grasp that basic fact deserves what they got! I- why are you all smiling?"

"Because of the so-called dimwitted insufferable morons," smirked Orange- indeed, he, Violet, and Red were all smirking now. "The ones right behind you. Who heard absolutely everything."

Now looking decidedly less smug, Terrence slowly turned around. Sure enough, almost every Team Error and Team Debug grunt was standing behind him, the entire crowd glaring at their boss. But Terrence did not look deterred. "So what!" he exclaimed. "So what if they know! p T, blast them with Psychic!"

p T roared loudly as a pulsing blast of psychic energy emanated from its formidable and tremendous body, bowling over the grunts before it. Then, four people came up beside Red, Violet, and Orange- they were Will, Lou, Jeff, and Larry, the pairs of Error and Debug grunts who had so frequently given the trio grief. Only now, their glares were also aimed at the one who they had called their boss.

"Fellas," Jeff addressed Red, Orange, and Violet, "I'm thinking that under the circumstances, we all owe you a huge apology."

"I thought I was fighting to make the world right!" snarled Lou. "I did the dirty work and endured the pitiful salary because I was led to believe that certain kinds of Pokémon were unnatural! He tricked me!"

"He tricked all of us," stated Will.

"He used us, is what he did!" Larry piped up. "C'mon, fellas, I know we had our differences in the past, but now that we know that we were fighting for a sham of a cause, I say we team up with y'all and take this son of a bitch down!"

"Give it everything you got, then," grinned Orange, who seemed satisfied by the grunts' change in side.

"Tangela! Poliwrath!" bellowed Will as he threw two Poké Balls.

"Primeape! Ninetales!" called Lou as he did the same.

"pPkMnp! 'M!" exclaimed Jeff.

"7g! Z4" added Larry.

All eight Poké Balls burst open, and the Pokémon materialized. They all started to turn on each other, but the hurried reassurances of their trainers stopped this. At that moment, Terrence and p T turned around once more.

"You just never quit, do you?" sneered Terrence. "So what if you got a little backup now? Unless one of you happens to have another super-ancient, super powerful legendary Pokémon, I'm afraid p T here trumps everything.

The group stood strong, though some of their Pokémon weren't looking all that courageous. Migraine couldn't help but whimper a bit, and Missingno. was shaking. Red patted Missingno. consolingly. "It'll be fine, Missingno.," Red reassured the Data Pokémon. "We can do this."

"Like hell you can!" laughed Terrence. "p T! Destroy them now! Hyper Beam!"

As one, all seven of p T's opponents opened their mouths to issue orders, but stopped as they realized that p T was doing nothing. After a moment, this realization came to Terrence as well. "p T?" he asked. "Didn't you hear me? I said, use Hyper Beam."

"I heard you," came a reply, to general astonishment. The voice seemed to come from every direction at once, and yet, Red somehow instinctively knew… this was p T talking. "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request."

"WHAT?!" Terrence exclaimed.

"Means 'no'," replied p T.

"I know what it means! I- why won't you attack them?!" demanded Terrence.

"My duty is done," p T explained. "I awoke to quell the fighting which threatened to leave Tanko in ruin, and now the warring parties have teamed up against you. But that is not why I will not attack."

"Then why?" Terrence asked, his anger barely being held back.

"Because it has happened," came p T's response. "The very thing which I dreamed of seeing for millions of years. The Kanto-native human with his Tanko-native Pokémon. Red and Missingno.

"Me? Us?" Red asked in mild surprise.

"Missing? No.?" added Missingno.

"Yes," p T said. "The bond between you two, though relatively recently formed, is a very close one. I have long dreamed of the day where someone native to Kanto could come to accept the Pokémon of Tanko. There were times when I believed it to be impossible, and so I severed all links between Tanko and Kanto… except one. A tiny part of me still believed, and so I left the two fields untouched, allowing for that slight chance for this to come to pass." p T then turned to face Terrence, who recoiled in fear almost instinctively. He reached for the Master Ball on his belt, but it crumbled into dust at his touch.

"As for you," p T said, addressing Terrence, its voice gaining an undertone of anger. "You have deceived me. You claimed to want peace and tranquility in Tanko. No. You proved that to be false when you would have me attack the one native to Kanto, and the Tankoan Pokémon he has bonded with. You are no longer my trainer. Goodbye."

"But- but- but-" spluttered Terrence, but to no avail; p T sank slowly into the ground, leaving no hole in its wake. Almost immediately, a pair of men in police uniforms came running over to Terrence, one of them clutching a pair of handcuffs.

"You are under arrest," hissed the handcuff-wielding cop as he cuffed the youth. This elicited cheers from absolutely everyone present- however, when the cops turned to face the throng of grunts, they screamed and ran off in every direction.

"Ehh, we won't bother with them right now," sighed the cop who wasn't currently reading Terrence his rights. However, he was approached by Will, Lou, Jeff, and Larry.

"Excuse us," Lou said. "After what that slimeball did to us, we'd be happy to help your investigation of the matter in any way possible."

"Yeah," agreed Larry. "We'll tell you all we know about Teams Error and Debug."

"Very well," nodded the cop. "Come with me."

As he led the four ex-criminals away, the other cop walked back over to where Red, Violet, and Orange stood. With one hand, he kept a firm grip on Terrence's shoulder. In the other hand, he held three brown discs and three odd brown objects which looked like flat, shiny dirt clods.

"Seeing as you three were responsible for bringing this guy down," the cop said to them, "and given that Terrence here was technically acting in his official capacity as the Ivadirin Gym Leader, Pokémon League regulations allow for the awarding of the arrested Gym Leader's badge and Technical Machine in this sort of situation. Here." He tossed the six objects at the trio, and each of them caught a badge and a TM. "Official Pokémon League Soil Badges, and those TMs, if I'm not mistaken, teach Fissure."

"Thanks!" grinned Red.

"No, son, thank you," the cop replied. "Alright, let's go, scumbag," he added to Terrence as he roughly led the would-be dictator away, Terrence protesting loudly and profanely.

It took a while for everything to settle down, but once the Pokémon Center had reopened, and once repairs were being started on Ivadirin Gym, Red, Orange, and Violet all sat down in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria. Red and Orange were enjoying their usual plates of fried nines, and Violet was indulging in her usual even number salad.

"OK," Red said. "So, we saved the world today," he said casually, as though trios of young Pokémon Trainers saving the free world from certain doom was a common occurrence. "We also got Teams Error and Debug to disband, and we won our Soil Badges, meaning we're all able to enter the Pokémon League now. I'd say this was a good day."

"I'd have to agree with that," grinned Orange. "So, when does the Pokémon League tournament begin, anyway?"

"Day after tomorrow," said the nurse, who had just passed by.

"Tha- wha- but- THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW?!" exclaimed Orange. "Guys! We gotta hurry! We-"

"Orange, relax!" Violet shouted. "It should be a day's walk from here to Ginodi Plateau, so if we leave first thing in the morning, we'll be fine- OK, Red, what do the letters spell?" she added, noticing that Red seemed to be concentrating.

"Well, if it's spelled 'G-I-N-O-D-I' like I think it is," Red responded, "then the letters spell out 'Indigo'. As in, Indigo Plateau. That's where the Pokémon League tournament is held in Kanto."

They ate their dinner in relative silence following this, for they were dead tired following the day's considerable events. Indeed, as they went off to sleep, Red and Violet didn't even need earplugs to drown out Orange's intense snoring.

The next morning, they swung by the cafeteria to grab a quick bite to eat- just a few slices of whole wheat zero toast with six jelly- and started heading west from the Pokémon Center. As they approached the city limits, they were still cheered on by the townspeople, all of whom by now knew of their role in stopping Terrence's plot.

"I still can't believe we thwarted a plot for world domination," Red grinned as they made their way down Route -22.

"I still can't believe we're about to compete in the Pokémon League," added Violet.

"I still can't believe it's not butter," joked Orange.

"Orange?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."


	37. Red Vs Orange

The blocky, misshapen sun moved slowly across the sky as the hours passed. Beneath that sun, Red, Orange, and Violet were making their way along Route -22, traversing the road made of rocks, bricks, pine cones, and twos. They scarcely spoke, all of them too excited for what lay ahead. Around noon, however, Orange's stomach started growling. This prompted Orange to start complaining.

"C'mon, guys, I'm hungry," whined Orange.

"Sorry, Orange," replied Violet. "We didn't pack anything from the Pokémon Center, and if we turn back now, we won't make it to Ginodi Plateau in time."

"RRRRRGH!" groaned Orange, frustrated in the extreme.

"I know," sighed Red. "But think about it, Orange- won't it feel much worse if we miss out on our chance to compete in the Pokémon League?"

"Right… you're right," Orange nodded. "We gotta keep moving."

They continued on, and soon enough, they came to a large building made out of tree bark, threes, sevens, and chunks of rock. This, they very quickly learned, was the entrance to Route -23, a winding, twisting path. Stationed at various points along the rocky, grassy, moist, numerical road were eight guards, none of whom would allow the trio to pass until they showed that they had earned a certain badge.

"Geez," Orange grumbled as they walked away from a guard who had demanded to see their Mental Badges. "Wouldn't it be easier to just have one guard to check all eight badges?"

"For once, you make a lot of sense," nodded Violet.

"You're damn right I do- wait a minute, what do you mean, 'for once'?!" demanded Orange.

"Orange?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Finally, after showing their Soil Badges to the eighth and final guard, they came to a large, imposing mountain… with a huge crevice going right through it. Something had carved a straight path through the mountain.

"This must be Victory Pass," Violet observed. "Red, what would the Kanto equivalent of this be?"

"Victory Road," Red answered. "From what I've heard, it's a twisting, winding, maze-like cave teeming with strong trainers to test those on their way to the Pokémon League."

"I guess that makes sense," Orange remarked, "seeing as Victory Pass is a straightforward path cutting right through a large mountain with no trainers whatsoever."

"Seems a bit easy," said Red. "Then again, it's not exactly easy getting to this point in the first place, so I guess I shouldn't be complaining."

"That's more like it," grinned Orange. "Don't complain about the good things in life, Red, enjoy them!" With that, he broke into a run. Red and Violet hastened to try and keep up with him. It had been a while since Red had ran after Orange, trying to keep up with the energetic trainer. It reminded him of when Orange had first caught Spearow, and he, Red, and Violet had chased after him while Orange went around trying to use the disobedient bird in battles.

Lost in this memory, Red didn't immediately notice that they had reached the end of the canyon, and were now looking up at an enormous stadium on higher ground (that ground consisting primarily of odd numbers and roofing tiles, with the odd rock thrown in here and there). The stadium itself looked to be made of gigantic ones, threes, and eights.

Through the double doors the trio burst, entering the lobby of Ginodi Stadium. The receptionist was very patient with them- as it happened, they were just in time.

"Thank Mew for that," Violet sighed in relief as she, Red, and Orange handed their Pokédexes to the receptionist. Once she had confirmed their information, she handed them back to them.

"All done," she smiled. "And with only two minutes to spare, too. Looks like you three are the last to register. Why don't you all go and get something to eat? There's a Pokémon Center, complete with cafeteria, just down that hall," she said, pointing off to the trio's right. "Come back in an hour where we'll announce tomorrow's preliminary round matchups."

They did just that. After a hearty meal of seven burgers and fried nines (an extra-large even number salad in Violet's case), the trio returned to the lobby, where they learned of their first opponents. Orange was to battle a Fisherman, Violet was up against a Cooltrainer, and Red was set to battle a Bird Keeper. The receptionist then went on to explain that in the preliminary round, each battle was to be conducted with one Pokémon on each side.

As the crowd started to disperse, Red suddenly found himself being hugged from behind. Though this made him jump, he immediately relaxed and smiled as he heard someone say "Hey there, Red. Did you miss me?" Red wheeled around, and sure enough, there was Maggie McPixel, Orange's cousin and the Bincanar Island Gym Leader, smiling at him.

"Hey, Maggie," smiled Red. "Yeah, I did."

"You know, what you three did in Ivadirin City is all over the news," Maggie stated. "I'm glad you're all OK. Did you really go up against the legendary p T?"

"Heh, well, it was nothing," Red said, blushing somewhat.

Maggie giggled. "So modest," she said. "Well, good luck tomorrow, Red, I'll be watching," she added as she walked off.

"Hey!" Orange called after her. "How about wishing your own cousin good luck, huh?"

"Orange?" murmured Red.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

The next day, the seats in Bincanar Stadium were packed. Violet, Red, and Maggie managed to get seats in the front row. Maggie had insisted on sitting next to Red, who raised no objections to this whatsoever.

On the grassy battlefield, Orange stood proudly at one end, facing the man at the other end, who was dressed as though ready for fishing. A referee stood on the side of the battlefield, a red flag in one hand, a green flag in the other.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to the first preliminary round battle of this year's Pokémon League Ginodi Conference!" came a booming, echoing voice from multiple speakers situated around the stadium as the announcer started speaking. "Our first match is Fisherman from Ruceelna City against Orange McPixel from Talpel Town!"

At this, the referee raised both of his flags. "Begin the match now!" he declared.

"Beat this, kid!" sneered the Fisherman as he threw a Poké Ball. "Gyarados! Go!" he shouted as the large sea serpent materialized on the battlefield. Positioning itself not unlike a large snake, it towered over Orange, who didn't look scared in the slightest.

"Wonder what Orange is gonna use," Red wondered out loud. "Nidoking's at a disadvantage… then again, Orange did teach it Thunderbolt using that TM from Electra…"

"Heh," Orange smirked as he took a Poké Ball off his belt and enlarged it. "Time to call on the help of an old friend for this one!" he said as he threw the ball, unleashing from within a Pokémon which caused Red and Violet to exchange highly surprised glances.

"Pika pika!" exclaimed the Pokémon Orange had sent out.

"Fisherman has sent out his Gyarados, while Orange is going with his Pikachu!" the announcer stated. "Orange is obviously at an advantage here, but will Gyarados's size even the odds a bit?"

"Pikachu?" Red said incredulously. "Since when- oh, wait, wait, Violet, didn't you say that Orange had a pet Pikachu back home?"

"Yeah," nodded Violet. "That's Shockey, all right. Orange hates it when anyone calls it that, though- he stopped using that nickname for Pikachu before he even moved to Talpel Town. Well, this certainly explains that phone call he made last night."

"Is he allowed to use a family pet Pokémon in an official competition, though?" asked Red.

"I believe it's allowed, yeah," Violet replied.

"Yep, it's definitely allowed," confirmed Maggie. "I should know- my Ninetales used to be my mom's pet Vulpix!"

Orange made the first move. "Pikachu! ThunderShock!" he ordered.

"Pikaaaa… CHUUUUUUU!" bellowed Shockey as the Electric-type's cheeks crackled with electricity before unleashing a powerful blast of lightning at the Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokémon roared with agony as the attack connected, and looked rather worn as Pikachu's attack ceased.

"Orange and Pikachu get things off to a brilliant start with a dazzling ThunderShock!" the announcer announced. "How will Gyarados come back from that?"

"I'll tell you how- with a Hydro Pump!" shouted the Fisherman. "Gyarados! Make it so!"

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" yelled Orange.

Gyarados unleashed from its huge mouth a high-pressure blast of water. Immediately, Shockey darted out of the way of the attack, and rammed into Gyarados. Despite the size difference, Shockey's sheer speed caused Gyarados to sway dangerously.

"All right, Pikachu!" grinned Orange. "Follow it up with your Swift attack!"

"Chuuuu… Pika!" Shockey responded as it swung its lightning bolt-shaped tail around, sending a wave of star-shaped rays flying across the battlefield. The stars pelted Gyarados, who roared its displeasure.

"Gyarados, Body Slam now!" the Fisherman ordered.

"Pikachu! Reflect!" bellowed Orange.

"Pika!" Shockey replied as a shimmering, transparent dome formed all around it. Gyarados's long body slammed down onto Pikachu, but as it got back off, Pikachu looked relatively unscathed.

"Let's wrap this up!" Orange exclaimed. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaaa… CHUUUUUUUUUU!" screamed Shockey as a massive bolt of lightning flew off its body and struck Gyarados, who roared with pain as the super effective Electric move coursed through its body. Once the move stopped, Gyarados, charred and smoking, collapsed to the ground.

The referee raised his green flag in Red's direction. "Gyarados cannot continue!" he announced. "Orange and Pikachu are the winners!"

"And in the end, Orange's type advantage wins out!" the announcer exclaimed. "Pikachu has toppled Gyarados, and Orange moves on to Round 2!"

"All right! We did it, Pikachu!" Orange cheered as the Mouse Pokémon jumped into his arms. The Fisherman sighed dejectedly as he withdrew Gyarados.

"Way to go, Orange!" cheered Violet. Red and Maggie joined her in cheering, even as the Trainers were leaving the battlefield.

The preliminary rounds continued throughout the day. For a while, the trio plus Maggie sat in the stands, watching as a Jr. Trainer's Onix took out a Bug Catcher's Beedrill, a Swimmer's Clefable defeated a Super Nerd's Muk, and another Fisherman's 7g triumphed over a Lass's Dugtrio. Finally, it came time for Red's preliminary round battle, and it quickly got intense.

"Fight back, Missingno.! Water Gun now!" Red was yelling.

"Farfetch'd, use Slash once more!" the Bird Keeper shouted.

"MissingNOOOOOOO.!" screeched Missingno. as it fired a stream of water from its mouth, striking the oncoming Farfetch'd, preventing the Wild Duck Pokémon from flying any closer.

"Missingno.! Finish it with your Sky Attack!" commanded Red.

"Farfetch'd, Double-Edge!" called the Bird Keeper.

"Far! Fetch'd!" shouted Farfetch'd as it flew forward, only to be slammed right into the ground by Missingno.'s glowing form.

"Farfetch'd is unable to battle!" ruled the referee. "Red and Missingno. are the winners!"

"Way to go, Red!" exclaimed Maggie from the stands. Orange and Violet stood up at that point and cheered as Red hugged Missingno.

Next, it was Violet's first battle, and the Cooltrainer she was facing was definitely skilled.

"Do it, Starmie!" he called out. "Psychic attack!"

"Tombstone, Night Shade now!" Violet commanded.

Starmie softly cried out as it emitted a wave of blue energy from its ruby-red core. At the same time, Violet's h Poké unleashed a black bolt of energy from one of its corners. The two attacks collided in the center of the battlefield, creating a huge explosion which covered the entire scene in a dust cloud. Once the dust settled, both Pokémon were still up, Starmie standing on two of its points, Tombstone floating in midair.

"Tombstone, Thunderbolt attack!" shouted Violet.

"h Poké!" bellowed Tombstone as the Spirit Pokémon unleashed another bolt of lightning, this one a dazzling yellow, right at Starmie, lighting up the Water/Psychic-type with voltage, at which point Starmie collapsed, a red light feebly blinking on and off within its core.

"Starmie is unable to battle! Violet and h Poké are the winners!" declared the announcer.

Once the preliminary matches were done, the group met up in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria for dinner. Once Chansey had brought all their food, they began to excitedly discuss the day's events.

"I gotta say, Orange," Violet admitted, "I wasn't expecting to see you use Shockey."

"Stop calling him that, Vi!" exclaimed Orange. "I told you, that was a stupid name."

"Yeah, it was," grinned Violet. After a few moments of silence, they started kissing. Red watched this for a moment, then glanced over at Maggie, who blushed slightly as she noticed this.

"Hey, so, Red," Maggie said. "Your battle earlier, that was really cool."

"Heh, thanks," Red smiled. "I'm… I'm glad you could come to watch, Maggie," he added, starting to blush a bit himself, which made Maggie giggle a bit.

"Yeah, me too," she added.

The silence was deafening as the two looked at each other. Almost without conscious thought, Red leaned forward, as did Maggie…

"Whoo!" Orange exclaimed suddenly as he and Violet broke apart. The moment ruined, Red and Maggie reluctantly stopped leaning towards each other. Orange noticed this, and immediately looked sheepish. "Aw, crap, I just ruined a moment here, didn't I?" he asked nervously.

The next day, Round 2 got underway. These were also one-on-one matches, and once again, Red, Orange, and Violet all got through. Red's Raticate managed to fry the opposing Jr. Trainer's Pidgeot with a sizzling Thunderbolt attack; Orange's A was able to take out the Swimmer's Kingler it had Transformed itself into; and Violet conquered the .4 of a Youngster with a little help from Skulls. Other than the battles, the day passed with little event, and the semifinal round was getting underway. The two battles were to take place simultaneously in order to allow for the final round to take place that afternoon. Each battle was to be held in a separate arena- behind Ginodi Stadium, there were two smaller arenas for this purpose. As Violet was set to face off against a Super Nerd, the other two trainers prepared to face off in the other arena- Red and Orange. Maggie sat by herself in the stands. Though it was clear she wanted to cheer Red on, she was starting to feel a tad guilty by not cheering for her cousin. She therefore settled for shouting, "Good luck, the both of you!"

"This will be a three-on-three battle between Orange McPixel of Talpel Town, and Red Vershunn of Pallet Town, Kanto!" the referee stated, which caused a lot of murmuring in the crowd. Red raised no objection to this- after the incident in Ivadirin City made the news, it became somewhat common knowledge that Red was from Kanto. "Begin!" the referee shouted.

"Good luck, Red!" Orange grinned as he threw a Poké Ball. "Let's go, .4!" he exclaimed. In a flash of light, Orange's .4 materialized, gibbering excitedly.

"Yeah, you too, Orange," replied Red as he threw a Poké Ball of his own, which unleashed his Snorlax.

"Orange is using his .4, while Red is starting with Snorlax!" exclaimed the announcer.

".4, use your TM28 attack!" Orange commanded.

"Snorlax, blast it with Psychic!" Red ordered.

"Laaaaaax!" bellowed Snorlax as a pulsing wave of pale blue psychic energy emanated from it, causing the oncoming .4 to squeak and gibber in discomfort. This, however, did not stop the Caffeine Pokémon from blowing up in Snorlax's face, sending it tumbling back.

"Way to go, .4!" cheered Orange. "Now give it a Psywave!"

"Snorlax, Headbutt it!" ordered Red.

"Eeee hee hee hee!" laughed .4 as it unleashed a barrage of glowing blue rings. Snorlax grunted as it took the attack, but stomped forward all the same, its head lowered, and slammed it into .4, sending the Pokémaniac-type reeling.

"Snorlax, hit it with Body Slam!" Red commanded.

".4, if you're going down, take Snorlax down with you!" Orange ordered. "TM09!"

As Snorlax started to fall over forward, .4's body caught fire. The second Snorlax's body made contact, there was a huge, fiery explosion. Red had to brace himself to keep from being blown back. The dust finally cleared, revealing both .4 and Snorlax to be laying on the ground, unmoving.

".4 and Snorlax are both unable to battle!" declared the referee, holding up both flags.

"You were great, Snorlax," sighed Red as he and Orange withdrew their Pokémon. "But now, let's see you get through this!" he added, throwing another Poké Ball, unleashing Parasect into the fray.

"Challenge accepted," grinned Orange as he threw his own Poké Ball. "Go! Fearow!"

In a flash of light, Orange's Fearow materialized. "Feeeeeaaaaroooowwww!" it cawed as it rose into the air, barely flapping its wings.

"Oh, boy," Red muttered. "Should've thought that one through… No matter, we can do this!" he exclaimed. "Parasect, go! Stun Spore!"

"Fearow, Razor Wind attack!" Orange commanded.

As Parasect unleashed a cloud of golden dust from beneath its large mushroom, Fearow flapped its wings forcefully, sending a gale-force wind blowing in Parasect's face- and blowing the Stun Spore into Parasect's face.

"Look at that!" the announcer exclaimed. "Fearow's Razor Wind has turned Stun Spore right back onto Parasect!"

"Come on, Parasect!" Red called. "Use Slash!"

"Sect… Para…" groaned Parasect.

"Fearow, Take Down now!" Orange ordered.

Fearow dove down at Parasect, when the Bug/Grass-type managed to muster enough strength to lunge at the Beak Pokémon, right claw glowing brightly, and take a ferocious swipe right as its avian adversary made contact. The Slash seemed to affect Fearow greatly as it collapsed to the ground. Parasect, meanwhile, was still standing.

"Wrap this up! Mega Drain now!" Red ordered.

Parasect's blank eyes glowed green, and a pair of matching green beams launched from the eyes. As they struck Fearow, small yellow beads of energy started traveling up the beams from Fearow, and were absorbed into Parasect's body. As the beams vanished, Fearow made no effort to get back into the air.

"Fearow is unable to battle!" the referee ruled. "Parasect wins!"

"What an upset!" the announcer gasped as Orange returned the Normal/Flying-type to its Poké Ball. "I don't think any of us were expecting that!"

"All right! Way to go, Red! Two down, one to go!" cheered Maggie from the stands, which resulted in Red blushing and smiling slightly.

Orange scowled. "I didn't see that coming," he admitted as he produced a third Poké Ball. "But now let's see Parasect tangle with Pika power!" he yelled, throwing the ball. "Pikachu! Go get it!" he shouted as the yellow mouse materialized.

"Pika pika!" Shockey exclaimed as it faced Parasect confidently, red cheeks crackling with sparks.

"Orange's third and final Pokémon is Pikachu!" the announcer stated.

"Ha!" Red grinned. "Electric moves won't do that much to a Grass-type like Parasect! Use your Slash attack!" he ordered.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" ordered Orange.

The still-paralyzed Parasect shakily raised its right claw, but Shockey speedily slammed into its side, sending the Mushroom Pokémon tumbling to the ground.

"Follow it up with Slam!" Orange commanded.

"Chuuuuu… Pika!" Shockey shouted as it ran over to Parasect and slapped at the Bug/Grass-type with its tail. This was the final straw as Parasect collapsed to the ground and moved no more.

"Parasect is unable to battle!" ruled the referee. "Pikachu is the winner!"

"Don't sweat it, Parasect," sighed Red as he withdrew aforementioned Mushroom Pokémon. "You did a great job." Red sighed again, trying to think what to send out… Shockey's speed would likely get the better of Missingno.'s lacking defenses… Dodrio and Charizard were obviously out, given their rather obvious type disadvantages… which left only-

"Raticate!" Red shouted, sending out the first Pokémon he ever caught in the Tanko region.

"And now the rat-and-mouse games will commence, for Red's final Pokémon is a Raticate!" the announcer stated.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Orange bellowed.

"Raticate, Quick Attack!" called Red.

The two rodents charged simultaneously, colliding in the center of the battlefield with great force, bouncing off of each other.

"Now, Raticate!" Red yelled. "BubbleBeam!"

"Ratatatatatatatatat!" shouted Raticate as it rapidly fired off a barrage of bubbles from its mouth. The Pikachu tried to fend off the aquatic onslaught, but it could do nothing against the attack.

"Come on, Pikachu!" Orange encouraged the Electric-type.

"Raticate, Hyper Fang attack!" Red ordered.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" shouted Orange.

"Pikaaaaa… CHUUUUUUUU!" screamed Shockey as its sparking cheeks suddenly discharged electricity in great quantities, a sizzling bolt of lightning striking Raticate, forcing it to stop in its tracks. Once the move ceased, Raticate weakly struggled to stay on its feet.

"Oh, come on, Raticate," Red murmured. "You can do this, I know you can!"

"Let's finish it, Pikachu!" Orange grinned. "Use Swift!"

"Chuuuuu… Pika!" replied Shockey as it spun around once, swinging its tail, unleashing a barrage of stars from the lightning-shaped appendage. Raticate, in spite of Red's frantic orders, could do nothing against the move, except collapse to the ground once it had finished.

"Raticate is unable to battle!" the referee stated. "The match goes to Orange McPixel of Talpel Town!"

"And Orange wins it!" the announcer exclaimed. "What's more, I am now receiving word from Stadium B that the other semifinal match has concluded. It appears as though Orange McPixel will be facing off against Violet Scramble in the finals!

"Whoa," Orange murmured at this revelation. "Me against Vi..."

Red, though decidedly dejected, still managed to walk over to Orange and manage a smile. "Hey, man… congratulations," Red said, offering his hand. Orange smiled and shook Red's hand.

"Cheer up, Red," Orange said. "You did great. But Pikachu's been in the family for years, I've been training with him before I actually became a trainer, so don't be too hard on yourself."

"Thanks," sighed Red. Just then, Maggie came running up to Red "Oh, hey, Maggie," smiled Red.

"Hey, you were great just now," Maggie smiled back.

"Yeah… I lost, though, Red sighed, his head drooping somewhat. In response to this, Maggie moved in closer to Red. With her right hand, she gently moved his chin up so he was looking at her. Once eye contact was made, she gently pulled Red in, and they kissed at last. Orange watched this with an air of mild amusement, and after about half a minute, they broke apart. "Then again," Red stated, already sounding as though he was in better spirits, "if this is what losing is like, I guess winning isn't everything."


	38. We Are The Champions

This was it. The atmosphere in Ginodi Stadium was intense as Orange and Violet stood across from each other on opposite sides of the battlefield. In the stands sat Red and Maggie, eagerly awaiting the action to start. The final match, as they had all learned, was to be a full battle- six-on-six. Orange had also sent Shockey back to his house in Talpel Town, as he wanted to use nothing but the Pokémon he had traveled with for this battle. The crowd's cheering and roaring was deafening, and only the sound of the announcer could drown them out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here we are- the final round!" the announcer exclaimed. "Competing for the title of Pokémon League Champion here and now are Orange McPixel and Violet Scramble, both from the town of Talpel. And I'm sure you don't want to suffer through another second of my pointless chattering, so let's let this match get underway!"

"This will be a full six-on-six battle between Violet Scramble of Talpel Town, and Orange McPixel, also of Talpel Town," the referee stated. "The winner of this match will be named the Tanko region's Pokémon League champion. And begin!"

As he said this, Orange and Violet simultaneously prepared Poké Balls. After staring each other down for a few seconds, they threw the balls.

"Flutters!" called Violet.

"A!" yelled Orange.

Simultaneously, the Poké Balls burst open. Violet's ball unleashed her Butterfree, while Orange's Normal/Normal-type was sent out on the opposite end of the field.

"Violet will be starting with her Butterfree," the announcer reported, "while Orange is commencing with A. An interesting choice for Mr. McPixel, for sure- A's got a lot of speed going for it, but not much else."

"Flutters, go!" Violet shouted. "Tackle attack!"

"Freeeh!" replied Flutters as it took off, zooming across the field towards A.

"A, go for the Hydro Pump!" ordered Orange.

A squealed loudly as a high-pressure torrent of water was expelled from the front of its body with great force. Though Flutters struggled valiantly against the aquatic onslaught, it was knocked out of the air in the end. Though it hit the ground hard, it rose back into the air with relative ease.

"A's Hydro Pump stops Butterfree's Tackle from ever happening!" the announcer exclaimed. "Orange must have trained this A well if any of its attacks are actually fending off an oncoming enemy."

"Let's make it double trouble for her, A!" grinned Orange. "Transform!"

A replied by squealing loud and long as its body glowed, promptly making the transformation. When the glow faded, there were now two Butterfree facing each other.

"The original is always the best!" Violet stated. "Flutters, Psybeam!"

"We'll use Psybeam, too!" Orange called.

"Freeeeeeh!" exclaimed Flutters as it and A unleashed identical beams of rainbow energy from their eyes. The attacks met in the center of the battlefield, where they cancelled each other out.

"Butterfree and A each try a Psybeam, but after Transform, it looks as though they're evenly matched," reported the announcer.

"Nice try, Orange," smirked Violet. "But A still can't overpower Flutters, they're evenly matched."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Orange shot back. "A! Stun Spore!"

Even in its Butterfree form, A squealed as it flapped its wings hard, unleashing a golden dust. Before Violet could open her mouth to order Flutters to use Whirlwind, the paralyzing powder settled on Flutters and took its effect. It now looked as though the real Butterfree had to make an extra effort just to stay in the air.

"A! Tackle attack!" Orange exclaimed.

"Flutters, Harden!" Violet called out desperately.

"Freeeh… Freeeh…" groaned Flutters as it tried to harden its body, but A was too quick now, and slammed the Bug/Flying-type it was posing as to the ground. Though Flutters was not knocked out, it couldn't seem to rise much higher than five inches into the air.

"Let's wrap this up," smirked Orange. "Psybeam!"

"Flutters, use your Psybeam, too!" Violet shouted.

This time, however, the firing of Psybeams was not simultaneous. A's Psybeam was launched first and flew faster than Flutters's. Moreover, A's Psybeam cut right through Flutters's Psybeam as though it were extremely strange butter. Once the attack hit, Flutters gave it up and collapsed to the ground.

"Butterfree is unable to battle!" declared the referee, raising one flag in Orange's direction. "A is the winner!"

"Orange is off to a good start," Red remarked as Violet withdrew Flutters.

"Yeah," nodded Maggie. "Of course, Violet would know her own Butterfree, so she very likely knows what to do to get the best of A now."

"Ooh, yeah," Red replied. "This should be interesting."

"Go! Tombstone!" Violet shouted as the ball she had just thrown burst open to reveal the Spirit Pokémon.

"Violet has chosen an h Poké as her second Pokémon," the announcer stated. "Being a Poison-type, h Poké won't have it easy should A pull off another Psybeam, but Violet must have something in mind."

"Indeed she does," Violet murmured to herself, smirking. "Tombstone, HM02!"

"A, Sleep Powder now!" Orange ordered.

A flapped its wings, but its squealing was already sounding weaker, its eyes gaining a dull, listless look as Tombstone appeared to be doing absolutely nothing.

Maggie shuddered. "Ooh… HM02 is a creepy move," she murmured. "You could never see it coming, and h Poké can be very quiet…" At this, Red put his arm around Maggie, and that alone seemed to calm her down somewhat.

"Come on, A!" Orange called encouragingly. "Give it a Psybeam!"

"Tombstone, Thunderbolt!" Violet commanded.

"Po-ké!" bellowed Tombstone as the h Poké unleashed a dazzling bolt of lightning from its body, lighting up the false Butterfree. As the attack ceased, A glowed as it resumed its normal form and collapsed to the ground.

"A cannot continue!" ruled the referee, raising the green flag in Violet's direction. "h Poké wins it!"

"And Violet pulls off a victory against A with an eerily powerful HM02 attack, washed down with a piping hot Thunderbolt!" the announcer declared. "Now Orange and Violet are each down by one Pokémon."

"OK, Nidoking!" Orange shouted, another Poké Ball already flying out of his hand. "Let's go!"

In a flash of light, the spiky purple form of Orange's Nidoking materialized. The Drill Pokémon roared loudly, and stomped the ground at the sight of its fellow Poison-type.

"Nidoking?" Red said, sounding highly surprised. "But Violet taught Tombstone Psychic! This isn't a good matchup for Nidoking at all."

"Tombstone, Psychic attack!" commanded Violet.

"Nidoking, Aurora Beam!" Orange yelled.

As Tombstone let off a pulsing wave of pale blue light, Nidoking roared, a rainbow-colored ray of light bursting forth from its horn. The two different lights met in the center of the battlefield, each attack cancelling the other out.

"Now use your Thunderbolt attack, Nidoking!" Orange shouted.

"Tombstone, Night Shade!" Violet ordered.

Nidoking roared loudly as it unleashed a powerful blast of electricity from its body. Tombstone, meanwhile, let fly a similar energy bolt, though this one was black in color. The two attacks connected at the center of the battlefield, though unlike Psychic and Aurora Beam, this resulted in a large explosion. Both trainers, plus the crowd, watched anxiously as the dust settled…

The referee held up both flags. "Nidoking and h Poké are both unable to battle!" he declared.

"A draw!" the announcer exclaimed, sounding quite surprised. "That explosion took them both out, and in one hit each, too! My Mew, those attacks had to have been powerful in order to create that kind of explosion!"

"Don't worry, Tombstone," Violet said quietly to the Poké Ball into which she had just withdrawn her Ghost/Poison-type. "You did great."

"I'm proud of you, Nidoking," Orange said to Nidoking's Poké Ball once he had withdrawn the Poison/Ground-type.

"This battle's getting intense," smiled Maggie. "I'm pretty excited."

"Same here," nodded Red. "I wonder what they'll use next."

Red did not have to wonder for much longer, for at that moment, Violet and Orange each threw a new Poké Ball, Orange's unleashing his .4, while Violet's ball sent forth her Weezing.

"And now we have .4 vs. Weezing," the announcer reported. "If their teammates thus far are any indication, this is sure to be an intense match!"

".4! Dragon Rage now!" Orange ordered.

"Skulls, Mimic it!" Violet commanded.

"Weezing weez," groaned Skulls as the skull-and-crossbones on the larger head flashed with a bright light briefly. As .4 fired off a brilliant blast of blue flame, the Weezing fired off an identical blast from the mouth of its larger head. The Dragon-type moves collided in the center of the battlefield, causing a minor explosion.

"Now, Skulls! Use Sludge!" Violet shouted.

".4, TM05!" Orange called.

Gibbering excitedly, .4 zipped forward, pulling up just as Skulls's Sludge attack soared beneath it. At that same moment, the Pokémaniac-type turned invisible.

"Skulls, Dragon Rage!" Violet said. "You're bound to hit it eventually!"

"Don't count on it, Vi!" grinned Orange. "TM28!"

"EEEEEEEEEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!" .4 giggled shrilly as an explosion from right behind Skulls sent the Weezing flying. .4 rematerialized at that point, and it was doing loop-de-loops in its excitement.

"OK, .4!" Orange exclaimed. "Hyper Beam!"

"Skulls, SmokeScreen!" commanded Violet.

.4 unleashed an intense beam of pure destructive force from its entire body, the bright yellow beam cutting right through the thick, black clouds of smoke Violet's Weezing was emitting. "Weeeez!" came a sudden exclamation from within the smoke, eliciting a collective gasp from the crowd. The smoke cleared out around then, revealing that while the Hyper Beam had hit Skulls dead-on, the move wasn't nearly enough to topple the Poison-type.

"Hah!" cackled Violet. "That's the defense of a Weezing for you! Let's do this, Skulls! Thunderbolt now!"

"Weezing WEEEEEZ!" bellowed Skulls as its entire body crackled with electricity, then fired off a single devastating lightning bolt. As .4 was struck, the Caffeine Pokémon loudly gibbered its displeasure before the gibbering gave way to groaning. .4 fell to the ground at that point, and made no effort to move further.

".4 is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Weezing wins!"

"After surviving an intense Hyper Beam, Weezing makes a brilliant comeback in the form of Thunderbolt, and takes out Orange's .4!" the announcer said as Orange called .4 back to its ball. "It managed to take that Hyper Beam like a champ, but Weezing's starting to look worn down," he added. He was right- while Skulls had survived the Hyper Beam, it was by no means unscathed.

"Alright, let's go, Flareon!" Orange exclaimed as he threw another Poké Ball.

"Ooh, a Flareon?" grinned Maggie. "I approve."

"I figured you would," smiled Red. "Still," he added, starting to look a little worried, "I'm not sure that was the wisest idea…"

"Flamethrower!" Orange ordered.

"Skulls, Smog attack!" Violet yelled.

"Weezing," groaned Skulls as thick clouds of dark, poisonous gas sprayed forth from its pores. The oncoming Flamethrower reacted with this gas, causing the air to explode back at Flareon.

"Yep," Red nodded. "Had a feeling."

"OK, Skulls, use your Dragon Rage!" Violet commanded.

"Flareon, Quick Attack now!" ordered Orange.

"Flaaaare!" shouted Flareon as it took off running, gaining speed with every second. It was able to dash out of the Dragon Rage's path with ease before it jumped up and slammed into Skulls, sending the Weezing crashing to the ground. Flareon was now standing atop the Weezing, hindering its efforts to get back into the air.

"Now use your Flamethrower attack!" Orange ordered.

"Flaaaaare!" Flareon yelled again as it unleashed another stream of flames from its mouth. This time, Skulls had no time to prepare any smog as a countermeasure, nor did Violet have the time to command it to do so. Instead, the Weezing took the Fire move heads-on, and when it concluded, Flareon got off of Skulls… but Skulls still didn't move.

"Weezing is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Flareon wins!

"Weezing had a clever little way of dealing with Fire moves," the announcer remarked, "but in the end, Flareon found a way around it. And now, it seems that both Orange and Violet are down by half their teams. What Pokémon will Violet choose now?"

"I choose Migraine!" Violet yelled as a Poké Ball was flung from her hand. In a flash of light, her Golduck materialized, looking ready for action.

"Type advantage isn't everything, Flareon!" Orange exclaimed with confidence. "Swift attack!"

"Migraine, Submission!" ordered Violet.

Migraine took a running start, and then lunged. It took the star-shaped rays Flareon was launching in the face; undeterred, the Golduck proceeded to wrestle Flareon to the ground.

"I would not wanna be that Flareon right now!" the announcer stated. "It looks like Golduck's gaining the upper hand, and we haven't even seen any Water moves out of it yet!"

"Then let's give them a Water move," grinned Violet. "Hydro Pump attack!"

"GolDUUUUUUUUCK!" bellowed Migraine as it opened its beak wide, and unleashed a high-pressure stream of water from within. Orange could only watch in horror as his Flareon was subjected to the powerful move. Once it was over, the referee's ruling came as no surprise to anyone.

"Flareon is unable to battle!" he announced. "Golduck is victorious!"

"Flareon, return," sighed Orange, holding out the Poké Ball which was currently sucking the Fire-type inside. "You were great," he whispered as he reattached the ball to his belt. Then, he selected another Poké Ball and tossed it. "Fearow! Let's go!" he exclaimed.

In a flash of light, Orange's Fearow appeared, flying high and screeching loudly as it looked down at Golduck.

"Migraine, shoot it down with your Hydro Pump!" ordered Violet.

"Fearow, Agility!" Orange commanded.

"Fea! Row! Fea! Row!" Fearow cawed as it swooped, dove, and swerved in midair, evading every single blast of water that came its way, gaining speed the whole time.

"Now, Fearow, Take Down attack!" yelled Orange.

"Feeeeearooooow!" screeched Fearow as it dove down, ramming Migraine at high speeds before either Golduck or Trainer had a chance to react. Migraine fell to the ground, but got up almost immediately.

"Migraine, use your Confusion attack!" ordered Violet.

"Razor Wind!" Orange bellowed.

The large brown bird flapped its impressive wings, sending a gust of vicious, cutting wind flying at Migraine. The Golduck, however, held its ground as it launched a beam of blue light from the ruby in its forehead. Fearow screeched as the Psychic-type move struck one of its wings, but it did not fall out of the air.

"Finish it! Fly attack now!" Orange called out.

"Rooooooooooooooooooowww!" Fearow cawed loudly as it rose high into the air, only to descend even faster, crashing into Migraine with incredible speed.

"Migraine!" Violet called as her Golduck fell to the ground again. This time, however, the Water-type stayed down.

"Golduck is incapable of battling further," the referee reported. "Fearow is the winner!"

"They're down to what, two Pokémon each now?" Maggie asked Red, though her eyes were glued to the action. Red couldn't say he blamed her.

"Sounds about right," Red replied as Violet withdrew her Golduck.

"Awesome job, Fearow!" Orange grinned, congratulating the Normal/Flying-type.

"It ain't over until it's over, Orange," smirked Violet as she threw another Poké Ball. "Go! Skelefly!"

In a flash of light, the screeching, cawing skeletal beast that was Violet's Aerodactyl Skeleton Missingno. materialized.

"Violet's fifth Pokémon is a Missingno.!" the announcer declared. "In Aerodactyl Skeleton Form, Missingno. is completely unpredictable. There's no telling what moves it'll use! In fact, I couldn't even tell you what type it is right now! Could be Rock and Ground, could be Poison, could be Normal and Flying, could be anything!"

"Fearow, Take Down now!" ordered Orange.

"Skelefly, Defense Curl!" commanded Violet.

The Missingno. immediately pulled its bony body into a very loose approximation of a sphere, but it was sufficient to make the oncoming Fearow bounce off with seemingly no ill effects.

"Now use your Flamethrower attack!" yelled Violet.

"Dodge it and use Peck!" commanded Orange.

Skelefly opened its mouth and let fly a searing stream of fire, which Fearow swiftly rose above before diving down at the Missingno., striking it with its long, cruelly pointed beak. This caused Skelefly to fall several feet, but it was flapping its wings once more within seconds, not nearly ready to go down just yet.

"Skelefly, use Double-Edge!" Violet ordered.

"Fearow, use your Take Down!" commanded Orange.

The avian adversaries were off, each one streaking towards the other. As they collided in midair, they started to fall as a result of the impact. As they hit the ground, they shakily rose back into the air, though not quite as high as before.

"Fearow and Missingno. are looking tuckered out," observed the announcer. "I'm not sure how much longer either one of them is gonna hold on!"

"Finish it!" Violet yelled. "Flamethrower!"

"Mirror Move!" Orange commanded.

"Mirror Move?" repeated Red, sounding fairly surprised. "OK, I knew .4 learned Hyper Beam, I knew Migraine learned Hydro Pump, I knew Fearow learned Agility, and I knew Skelefly learned Double-Edge… but since when does Orange's Fearow know Mirror Move?"

As Skelefly unleashed a powerful stream of fire from its mouth, a small, mirror-like portal opened up in front of Fearow, and an identical stream of fire erupted from it. As the two Fire moves connected, there was yet another explosion, and this time, both combatants could be seen getting thrown back, falling to the ground, and not even bothering to get back up.

"Neither Missingno. nor Fearow can continue!" the referee stated, holding up both flags at once.

The crowd started murmuring amongst themselves as both Pokémon were withdrawn- those that were keeping count now knew that both Orange and Violet were down to their very last Pokémon.

"Now this is getting even more exciting!" squealed Maggie, as both she and Red looked on.

"I'll say," Red agreed. "Especially as I think I know just which two Pokémon are the ones that are gonna be facing off against each other."

"This is it, Vi," grinned Orange, a Poké Ball already in his hand, enlarged and ready to be thrown. "The last round. I should've known it would come to this."

"Yeah, same here," nodded Violet, as she too had a Poké Ball at the ready. "Well, good luck, Orange. If you hold back even a little bit, I won't forgive you."

"The same goes for you," replied Orange. "Let's both give this all we got."

"GO!" they shouted simultaneously as they threw their Poké Balls. From Violet's ball emerged Chompy, and Orange's ball produced his Q. It reminded the two of them of when they had first got Bellsprout and 44Hy from Professor Redwood, how they had had a brief battle in his laboratory before being somewhat distracted by Red's sudden appearance outside.

"Violet's last Pokémon is Victreebel, and Orange's sixth Pokémon is a Q!" the announcer reported. "Type advantages can go either way with these two, so this is sure to be an exciting and unpredictable battle!"

"Let's go, Q! Headbutt attack now!" ordered Orange.

"Kyuuuuuu," sang Q as it zoomed forward.

"Chompy, dodge it and use Vine Whip!" commanded Violet.

Chompy screeched loudly as it leapt into the air, evading the Headbutt completely. Then, it slammed Q with its long, brown vine, sending it crashing to the ground.

"Q, now try your Disable attack!" Orange called as the Deep Sea Pokémon unsteadily rose back into the air. Almost immediately, a pink glow came over Q's cube-shaped body, and a similar glow formed in the Victreebel's eyes.

"Very nice, Orange," smirked Violet. "But you seem to be forgetting one crucial detail- Vine Whip isn't Chompy's only move anymore! Chompy, Razor Leaf!"

"Confusion!" cackled Orange.

"Kyuuuuu," sang Q as it fired off a ray of blue energy at the same time the Victreebel started swinging its leaves around, launching numerous razor-sharp leaves at the Water/Psychic-type. The Confusion easily overpowered the Razor Leaf, and struck Chompy, eliciting pained screeching from the Victreebel.

"Chompy! Acid attack!" Violet ordered.

"Q, go for Ice Beam!" yelled Orange.

The attacks went flying simultaneously- Chompy's Acid and Q's Ice Beam held each other at bay, before the combatants ceased their attacks.

"Chompy, try your Stun Spore!" called Violet.

"Q! Water Gun!" Orange shouted.

Chompy lifted its largest leaf off its mouth, and sprayed a golden dust in Q's direction. Q, however, forced the spores to stop by spraying them with a stream of water.

"Chompy, use Wrap!" commanded Violet.

"Fight back with Double Kick!" Orange bellowed.

The Victreebel hopped forward as Q floated right at it. A pair of feet had emerged from Q's body, and it was spinning around, ready to strike the Flycatcher Pokémon. Instead, Chompy merely allowed the end of its vine to get caught on one of Q's feet, and the Deep Sea Pokémon wound up wrapping itself up in Chompy's vine.

"No! Q! Get out of there!" Orange exclaimed.

"No use!" cackled Violet. "Wrap it harder, Chompy!"

"Victreebel is attacking relentlessly, and Q can't move!" the announcer stated. "This match is truly getting intense!"

"Now, Chompy, Slam attack!" Violet ordered.

"Q, Headbutt it!" Orange yelled.

Chompy swiftly unfurled its vine, slamming Q to the ground hard. The Deep Sea Pokémon, however, not to be deterred, rose back up and charged, hitting the Victreebel head-on.

"Let's finish this!" Orange exclaimed. "Confusion!"

"Chompy, let's give them a SolarBeam!" Violet commanded.

Slowly, light began to gather on the Victreebel's largest leaf as Q unleashed a blast of pale blue energy. Though Chompy reeled from the attack, it maintained its focus, and once the light coming off its leaf was so dazzling that nobody could look directly at it, Chompy lifted the leaf so it faced straight up, and a beam of concentrated solar energy was launched, just as Q unleashed another Confusion attack. The two attacks collided in midair, and the two Pokémon were clearly straining to make their attack overpower the other one.

"Come on, Chompy!" pleaded Violet. "Turn up the juice!"

"Maximum power, Q!" commanded Orange.

The two combatants strained to power up their attacks, and as the tension mounted, there came a sudden explosion from the center of the battlefield- the largest one yet. A huge cloud of dust blasted in all directions, forcing everyone in the stands to cover their faces. Red and Maggie did this too, though still each removed a hand from their face so they could hold hands as they tried to see what was happening- the air was still thick with dust. For a few moments the dust started to settle at an agonizingly slow pace. Then, as Red could start to make out vague outlines, the referee spoke up loud and clear.

"Victreebel and Q are both unable to battle!" he announced as the crowd could start to see this for themselves; there lay Chompy and Q, both of them charred and smoking from the intense explosion, neither of them moving. "I declare this match to be a draw!"

"Oh my Mew, it's a draw!" the announcer exclaimed as the crowd erupted with cheers and screams. "This has happened only once before in the entire history of Ginodi Plateau, and it means that both Violet Scramble and Orange McPixel are now Pokémon League Champions!"

"All right!" Red cheered as he and Maggie stood up. The dust had finally settled, and a Pokémon League official was walking onto the battlefield. Orange and Violet both walked towards him as he produced a large, gold trophy which had the appearance of a Poké Ball on a pedestal.

"Orange McPixel and Violet Scramble, it gives me great pleasure to officially declare you both to be Pokémon League champions," he stated as he handed the trophy to them. Violet and Orange each grasped a handle as they grinned at each other. At this, Red and Maggie turned to grin at each other. They embraced, and then their lips met.

"You know, Vi," smiled Orange as the crowd cheered for the both of them. "When I pictured becoming League Champion, I always pictured the scene with just me becoming Champion."

"Orange-" began Violet.

"Oh, believe me…" Orange interrupted as he moved in and started to kiss Violet, who reciprocated this kiss enthusiastically. As they broke apart, Orange finished, with a grin on his face; "Shutting up."

~~~~~~~~  
THE END


	39. Epilogue: One Month Later

It was a quiet day in Ivadirin City. The Gym had been patched up nicely, it looked as good as new. Well, relatively speaking, anyway.

Behind the gym, the air situated beneath a large stone archway started to shimmer. And then, seemingly from nowhere, there came four people- Red, Orange, Violet, and Maggie- walking out of the arch as though they had merely walked underneath it.

"Oh my Mew, it actually worked," grinned Orange as he looked back at the arch. "I'm guessing p T reopened all the portals between Kanto and Tanko after what happened last month."

"Looks that way," nodded Violet.

"Personally, I'm glad it works," Red added. "I love it here, but it was great to return home, even if only for a visit."

"I get the feeling your mom liked me, Red," smiled Maggie.

"Well, of course she did," Red smiled back. "Why shouldn't she? For that matter, who wouldn't? But yeah, I'm glad she approves of us.

"But man, is Kanto a strange place or what?!" exclaimed Orange. "No numbers anywhere, and your sun is perfectly spherical! My mind was blown, Red, I'm telling you."

"Well, it's what I was used to my whole life," said Red. "Now you know why I was so weirded out when we first exited Professor Redwood's lab?"

"Uh, yeah!" Orange exclaimed.

"I thought Professor Oak was nice," Violet remarked. "It seemed like he had really been learning about Tanko ever since that day on Bincanar Island."

"Yeah," nodded Red. "It's just too bad he couldn't tell us much about this, either," he added as he dug into his backpack and carefully extracted a large, round object from within- an egg. It was white all over, marked with a number of red and blue triangles of varying size. "I mean, pretty much all he knew was that this is the egg of some kind of Pokémon, and we already knew that from Professor Redwood. All they could tell us to do is to keep it with us and see what hatches."

After a few moments of idly walking around the city, Red spoke up again. "So, what are you guys gonna do now?" he asked.

"Well, obviously, I'll be heading back to Bincanar Gym," replied Maggie. "A Gym Leader can't keep the Gym closed for too long, after all."

"Yeah, speaking of which, I better get back myself," Red stated, looking off in the direction of the Ivadirin Gym. "Orange, Vi, what about you two?"

"Well, we're headed up to Ruceelna next," answered Violet. "You guys do know you were invited to dinner up there too, right?"

"Oh yeah," grinned Red. "I almost forgot. Sounds like things are really getting serious between Jimmy and Meg, huh?"

"Heh, I almost forgot, too," giggled Maggie. "Of course I'm coming!"

Orange looked somewhat grumpy at the mention of Jimmy. "I'll go, but he better not start sending out his Pokémon," he grumbled, remembering (with zero fondness) his Weedle, his Venonat, and especially his Scyther.

"Venonat will be out, at the very least," Red stated. "Remember last time we were up there, how Meg was fawning over Jimmy's Venonat? Now that they're going out, there's no way he's gonna keep Venonat in its Poké Ball."

"Oh, Orange, would you relax?" sighed Violet, though she couldn't help but smirk at him. "Anyway, Red, did you think up a new name for the badge?"

"Yeah, I did," nodded Red. "From now on, those who defeat me in Ivadirin Gym are awarded… the Bland Badge!"

"Bland Badge, huh?" Orange remarked. "I guess that fits, considering the Gym now counts as a Normal-type Gym."

"I like it," smiled Maggie. "In fact, my only problem with the fact that the Pokémon League offered you the position of Ivadirin Gym Leader is that we don't get to see each other as often as we want… I mean, it's not like the Gyms can just stay closed for days and days."

"Yeah, I know," sighed Red. "Still, it's great to just get to spend time with you whenever I can. Meanwhile, I can't exactly complain about this job," he added with a grin. "Besides which, given how much Terrence kept this Gym closed, I'm sure the trainers around here wouldn't begrudge me the occasional day off."

"Makes sense," agreed Violet. "Now, are we gonna get going or what? It's a long walk to Ruceelna City from here."

"Who says we have to walk?" asked Red. "You got Skelefly, Orange has Fearow, I got Dodrio and Missingno. We can all be there within the hour if we use Fly."

"I guess so," Violet muttered.

"You're not still iffy about flight, are you, Vi?" Orange asked. "Nothing bad's ever happened to you when you were riding on a flying Pokémon, right?"

"Yeah, I know, I know," nodded Violet. "You're right, Orange, just force of habit. Yeah, we should go with Fly to get there. In fact, Red, Missingno.'s big enough to carry us all, isn't it?"

"I'd say so, yeah," Red agreed as he took a Poké Ball off his belt and threw it. "OK, Missingno.! Let's get ready for Fly!" he called as the Data Pokémon appeared. Immediately, Missingno. tilted itself forward so it was facing straight down. This allowed for its four passengers to climb aboard with ease. Red and Orange held onto Missingno.'s back, while Violet held onto Orange, and Maggie held onto Red. On Red's command, Missingno. rose into the air, and they were off. Missingno. flew off, heading northeast, in the direction of Ruceelna City.


End file.
